Falcon's Blade
by Kitsanken
Summary: EDITED.Knives, humanity's worst enemy.But now something worse is threatening both the Plants & the humans.Knives& Meryl, stuck together, caught up in the fight of their lives & only able to rely on the last person they ever would have chosen as an ally.
1. Chapter 1

**Trigun Fanfic**

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow Shonen Gaho-sha Tokuma Shoten JVC Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication_

_or sale._

**Falcon's Blade**

_By Chiruken_

_**Chapter 1**_

Meryl shivered and wrapped her arms around herself as she stared out over the dark wastes of the desert, searching for any sign of movement. Sighing softly she turned her back on the panoramic view beneath the moons and shook her head. "Who am I kidding? There's no one out there. I'm stuck." She shivered again and looked towards the sharp out-cropping of rock rising before her, forming shelter from the elements of the desert world. A small fire glowed and crackled, casting weird, misshapen images across the rocks, reminding her just how precarious her current situation was. "Oh man." She moaned softly and closed the distance, forcing her expression to remain calm, not showing her inner turmoil and fear boiling just under the surface of the thin veneer of her control.

"Well?"

Despite her resolve, she jumped at the harsh voice breaking the silence, a shiver of fear running up and down her spine. Swallowing with difficulty, she forced her legs to carry her forward, willing her hands to stop shaking. "N-nothing." Silently, she cursed the tell-tale tremor in her voice.

"Thought so." Knives stared hard at the small woman standing just inside the circle of light afforded by the glow of the fire. It was just his luck to be stuck with a human in a situation as dire as the one he currently found himself in. Unlike his brother, Vash, he felt nothing but contempt for the fragile creatures that polluted the universe with their corruption, yet he found himself curious about this one. "Are you going to stand there all night?" He didn't bother trying to hide the impatience in his tone. There was no point. She already knew how he felt about her kind so there was no use in pretending otherwise.

Shaking her head with a sharp, jerking movement, Meryl slowly closed the distance and sat across from the one man in the entire world whom she truly feared above all else. She had no illusions that he could and would kill her at the first opportunity. What puzzled her, though, was that he hadn't done so already. She knew that could only mean that he had some sort of diabolical plan up his sleeve and it somehow involved her. She didn't want to even think about what such a plan might be. Considering his past it could only be evil and intent on the destruction of the entire human race. "Why do you hate us so much?" She whispered, staring into the flames of the fire separating them. Suddenly realizing what she had said her eyes widened in horror as she quickly covered her mouth, her gaze flying to meet his. To her surprise he was smiling.

"Why do I hate you, little spider?" He chuckled softly and leaned forward, blue gaze intent on her pale features. "You're all parasites, living off my brothers and sisters without a thought or care for their feelings and well-being. You're all selfish and corrupt, like a disease, spreading across the universe to infect every world you come across. Have you ever given thought to how you came to be here?" He held up his hand when she opened her mouth to speak. "Save it. Plants brought you here. My brothers and sisters. How do you live? By the grace of the slaves you use and discard...the Plants. Your kind are all the same...contemptible."

Meryl looked down at her hands, the fingers laced together tightly. "Not everyone is like that." She looked up slowly, a defiant tilt to her chin. "Have you ever tried to get to know people? Have you deemed everyone guilty for the sins of a few? For every person who answers to the description you just gave there are a hundred more who are kind, caring, generous and hard working. You can't judge everyone without at least trying to..."

"Shut up." He spoke softly, but the quiet menace in his tone halted her words in mid-sentence. "Do you presume to question me, little spider? Do you presume to tell me what I can and cannot do?" He reached around the fire and caught her by the throat in an iron-like grip and shook her. "Remember to whom you are speaking, human!" He shook her once again before tossing her aside.

Meryl lay on her side staring at the rock wall through a haze of pain and a blur of tears as she held a shaking hand to her bruised throat. She'd forgotten, for a moment, in her self-righteous anger who it was she was with. "So why am I still alive?" She whispered painfully.

Knives glared at her back, her quietly spoken words reaching his sensitive ears. "You amuse me, for the moment." Truthfully, it was more than that, but he wasn't willing to admit that, not to himself and certainly not to her. "However, my good will isn't limitless, so watch your tongue, human."

"Meryl." She rolled over slowly and faced him again.

"What?"

"I have a name and it's Meryl. Meryl Stryfe. I'm not 'human' or 'spider' or any other hateful name you can think of. My name is Meryl."

His eyes narrowed. "Are you quite through?"

"Yes." She closed her eyes and drew in a ragged breath through her bruised and raw throat. "If you're going to kill me, then do so."

"Are you in such a hurry to die, little spider?" He tilted his head to the side curiously when she shook her head. "Then why are you purposely trying my patience?"

"Because I know you'll kill me anyway. I just want to die with a little bit of dignity intact." She wasn't certain where this boldness was coming from, but she was just so tired of being walked all over that she was willing to chance his wrath to finally assert herself. Her whole life she'd been bullied because she was smaller, had developed a giant-sized temper to hide her hurt, and learned to use the derringers she usually wore at all times to protect herself. She was tired of hiding behind the tough- girl act. Was it too much to ask to, just for once, not have to fight for the respect she yearned for?

"Dignity, huh?" He shrugged and leaned back against the rocks to study her small form where she lay curled into a small ball, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "You're amusing, little spider...I think I'll keep you for the time being." He murmured under his breath as he watched her breathing slowly even out, indicating that her exhaustion had finally won out over her fear of him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Trigun Fanfic**

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow Shonen Gaho-sha Tokuma Shoten JVC Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication_

_or sale._

**Falcon's Blade**

_By Chiruken_

_**Chapter 2**_

Meryl awoke with an odd feeling of displacement. Slowly opening her eyes she blinked sleep from them and rolled painfully onto her back, her movement hindered by her limbs tangling in a blanket. _Blanket?_ She thought fuzzily. _I didn't have a blanket last night_. Staring up at the rocky out-cropping above her she tried to make sense of this odd development in her sleep muddled mind.

"You're finally awake. Good. Get up."

Turning her head she stared across the cold ashes of the fire at the man who had spoken. "Knives?" She whispered hoarsely, her throat raw from the abuse it had received the night before. Sitting up slowly she blinked at him, puzzled by the friendly smile he wore.

"Were you expecting someone else?" He shrugged and turned away, staring out across the dimly lit sandy dunes spread out beyond their temporary shelter. "We'll make better time if we start out before the suns fully rise."

She nodded slowly, still bewildered by his odd behavior. "Of course." She murmured, pushing the blanket off of her. She stared at it for a moment before turning her curious gaze back to her companion. "Did you..." She paused and cleared her throat. "Did you give me the blanket?" She asked softly.

He shrugged, not meeting her gaze. "Don't make anything out of it. I couldn't sleep with the volume of your teeth chattering all night."

"Thank you." She stood and folded the blanket neatly. Looking around she shuffled from one foot to another, nervously glancing at the man still seated across from her. "Um..." She hesitated, shifting again before edging away from him.

"What are you doing?" He gave her a hard look and was gratified by the look of uneasiness that crossed her features.

"I...um...I have to..." She blushed and looked away, shifting uncomfortably again under his steady gaze. "I have to take care of something." She finally finished.

He scowled and shook his head. "Sit down. I'm not ready to leave yet."

She shook her head in turn. "I really have to take care of something. Now." She insisted, biting her bottom lip as she edged a little further away from him.

"Whatever it is, it can wait." He was beginning to lose patience with the annoying woman. He had to think of a plan, the best course of action, before they set out and he couldn't think with her hovering the way she was.

"It _can't_ wait!" Her hands closed into fists at her side. "I have to go _now_!" She turned to flee around the corner of the rocks.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

She stopped and glared at him, face red with embarrassment. "I have to pee!"

"Oh." That definitely was more information than he currently needed. "Fine then. Just don't go too far." He didn't want to admit it, but he was worried that she might get caught out in the open without him around and get hurt, or killed. "I don't want to have to find you if you get lost." He turned away and glared at the cold fire.

"Whatever." She muttered and hurried away, seething inwardly. "Insufferable, crude, nasty...oooh! I can't stand that man!"

Listening to her not-so-silent mutters he smirked and leaned back, hands folded behind his head. He honestly couldn't see what his brother found so fascinating about the woman. Sure, she wasn't too hard to look at with her big grey eyes and pretty features, but still...that personality of hers was grating at the best of times. Besides, she was human and that just made it wrong. Still...she could be amusing at times. Unfortunately, he found her irritating most of the time. He would be glad to get rid of her...wouldn't he? He tilted his head to the side curiously. He couldn't possibly be thinking of keeping her, could he? She was, after all, human and that meant a worthless insect, didn't it? He scowled irritably. What was wrong with him? He shouldn't even have to think about that. He had more pressing matters to occupy his attention at the moment and shouldn't be wasting his time with thoughts of Meryl Stryfe.

Meryl stepped back into the shelter of their camp, face still red with embarrassment and leaned against the rock wall with her arms folded across her chest as she glared down at her current traveling companion. After several moments where her presence hadn't been acknowledged she began to tap her foot in annoyance. Eyes narrowing in further irritation she gritted her teeth but still didn't speak. After all, Knives looked to be deep in thought and she didn't dare interrupt him lest he take his frustrations out on her.

Knives was aware of her return but chose to ignore her for the time being. He was no closer to figuring out what the strange light glowing in the distance had been and he was beginning to wonder if he really wanted to know. His connection to the Plants afforded him knowledge of what was happening nearly anywhere on the planet, yet they seemed reluctant to discuss the light that had appeared several days before. He considered contacting Vash but discarded the idea as foolish. He knew his brother wouldn't be pleased to learn that one of his human companions was with him and, quite frankly, his pride was still smarting from their last encounter when Vash had nearly defeated him. He had no desire for a repeat performance.

Meryl sighed and slowly slid down the wall until she was sitting on the sand, knees drawn up to her chest. Resting her chin on her upraised knees she stared at Knives. It bothered her how much he looked like Vash, except his eyes were blue rather than green and his hair appeared to be a paler blond than the Humanoid Typhoon's. Sighing softly again she shook her head slightly and closed her eyes. It wasn't just their appearance that differed. No, it was in their personality as well. Vash was, well, a nice guy. Very nice...almost _too_ nice. Knives was...evil. At least, his actions were evil. After all, whoever intended to completely eradicated the entire human race couldn't exactly be considered a good person.

Knives stood abruptly and stretched. "All right. Let's go."

She looked up at him with a frown. "Go? Go where? Do you have a plan, Knives?"

He stared down at her with an enigmatic smile curving his lips upwards. "As a matter of fact I do. I thought I could offer you as a sacrifice to put them in a good mood and then tap into their power to eliminate the rest of the spiders from my Eden."

"That's not funny." Meryl stood slowly, eyes narrowed as she gazed up at him.

"It wasn't intended to be humorous, little spider." He strode passed her without looking back. He really did enjoy teasing her. It amused him to see the look she got when he did. It was an expression halfway between fear and anger, her eyes sparkling with the emotions she couldn't very well give in to.

"Asshole." She muttered, following after him reluctantly. _Someday. _She silently vowed. _Someday he's going to regret this._


	3. Chapter 3

**Trigun Fanfic**

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow Shonen Gaho-sha Tokuma Shoten JVC Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication_

_or sale._

**Falcon's Blade**

_By Chiruken_

_**Chapter 3**_

He raised his hand to shield his eyes as he gazed across the nondescript landscape, heat waves causing shimmers to rise up from the ground distorting anything in his line of sight. It was barely mid-morning and already the heat was becoming unbearable. He stopped and glanced over his shoulder behind him and frowned at his companion. If he was feeling the discomfort, what must she be feeling right now? He sighed and shook his head. It shouldn't matter to him, yet it did. She reminded him so much of Rem that it was eerie. Despite his hatred for the human race, he still harbored gentler feelings for the woman who cared for his brother and himself. "Rem Saverem." He murmured under his breath and shook his head again. It was the heat that was making him think about such foolish sentimentality, nothing more.

Meryl gasped, trying to draw air into her burning lungs and nearly choked on the heat. It felt as if the very air was trying to burn her throat and lungs. She blinked, eyes watering from the sting of sweat and the glare of the suns off the white sand stretching out to the horizons in every direction. Her dark hair clung to her cheeks and neck and she knew that if she didn't find shade and get some precious liquid into her system soon she was as good as dead. She didn't dare say anything, though. She knew Knives didn't need another excuse to kill her and that certainly would give him one. He didn't need to be reminded of the frailty of the human race. She did have to wonder, though, how he could continue trudging through the desert as if the heat didn't affect him at all. For that matter, Vash was the same way. Oh, sure, he made a big production out of being tired or in need of water, yet she'd never once seen him suffering from the same afflictions human's did...dehydration and starvation didn't seem to be something that could affect him. She assumed that Knives, as his brother, would be the same in that respect.

He watched her stumble up the gentle swell of the dune and frowned. If he had to keep waiting for her he wouldn't make good time at all. The correct thing to do would be to leave her behind, yet he was loathe to do so. He didn't dare analyze his feelings at this point, but the thought of abandoning her to the elements and certain death didn't sit well with him at all. He assumed that it was because of her resemblance to Rem and he left it at that, not wanting to delve any deeper into the reasons behind his seeming reluctance to dispose of the human woman currently slowing him down.

One foot in front of the other she trudged through the sand. Her vision was beginning to narrow, black spots forming, obscuring her view. She was in trouble and knew it. She wanted to call out to Knives, ask him to slow down and wait for her, but she didn't dare show any weakness to him. Her throat felt parched and raw, burning with each labored breath she drew into her straining lungs. Her lips felt cracked and sore, her mouth painfully dry. She doubted she had enough moisture left in her to spit anymore. _I'm going to die._ She thought as her knees buckled and she fell face first into the ground. She didn't have enough strength left to even try to regain her feet. Instead she lay where she fell, eyes closed against the glare of the suns. She felt almost as if she were floating.

Knives scowled and retraced his steps to where he'd seen her fall. He stood looking down at her prone body, eyes narrowing in irritation. "Get up." He ordered and waited for a reaction. There was none. Not even a twitch to indicate that she even heard him. Looking away, he scanned the surroundings, squinting against the glare off the sand, and sighed. A little to the left of his current course there appeared to be shelter of some sort. He looked down at her again and shook his head. "I must be as crazy as Vash always says." Bending, he carefully lifted her and set out in the direction of the shelter he'd spotted moments earlier. "I just know I'm going to regret this later." Her added weight was negligible. He looked down at her, his eyes moving over her still features. Relaxed like this she looked even more like Rem he realized. Tilting his head to the side he amended that thought immediately. Rem was all softness and this little spider had strength in her features the other woman hadn't possessed. He wondered if that was why his brother put up with her irritating temper.

Meryl felt as if she were floating, suspended above the world looking down and seeing everything as if from a great distance. It was cooler where she was, the blistering heat of the desert nonexistent. She found that she liked it where she was except that she was alone. She was also afraid that she might actually be dead and this was the afterlife. If she really was dead that was fine. At least she wasn't so hot anymore. Then again, if she really had died, that meant she'd never gotten the chance to tell Vash how she truly felt about him. Nor had she gotten the chance to explore the strange feelings Knives instilled in her. She moaned softly. "Knives?" What was she thinking? Knives was her enemy...right?

Blinking in surprise, he looked down at the woman he held. Had she just called out his name? "Couldn't be." He muttered under his breath, noting that she was still unconscious. He was nearly to the stand of rocks he'd seen. Once he had her in the shade he could try getting some water into her. Hopefully she wasn't so far gone that the water didn't do any good.

Somehow she felt secure. It was a strange feeling, but very nice all the same. She imagined that this was how she'd feel if Vash held her in his arms. She smiled a little at the thought. Since she was dead, there was no way she'd ever find out for sure. Her smile faded, replaced by a puzzled frown. If she was dead, then why did she hurt so much? And why was she still so terribly thirsty? _The afterlife..._ She decided irritably. _Is no better than living._ She'd always assumed that when she finally moved on the physical discomforts she felt in day to day living would vanish. How unfortunate it was to discover that she'd been wrong.

Setting his burden down in the shade of the rock formation he reached for the canteen hung at his waist. Glaring down at her, he felt resentment curling through him. It wasn't fair that she looked so much like Rem. If she hadn't, he could've easily killed her...or left her in the sand where she'd fallen. Kneeling by her side, he carefully placed his arm behind her thin shoulders and lifted her to a sitting position. Holding the canteen to her lips he tilted it until water leaked out in a small trickle. "Drink." He commanded softly.

She could feel moisture on her lips. "Mmmm..." She licked her lips, feeling water touch her tongue.

"That's it...drink, little spider." He tilted the canteen some more as she slowly regained consciousness and was beyond the danger of drowning rather than drinking.

Slowly, she opened her eyes to find Knives looking down at her and holding a canteen to her lips. She blinked, thinking that she was hallucinating, only to discover that he didn't disappear. She became aware of his arm around her, supporting her. Her eyes widened and she choked.

He quickly pulled the canteen away from her when she choked and pulled her forward, patting her back as she spluttered. When she'd finally gotten the coughing under control he allowed her to fall back again. "Better?"

Nodding mutely, she could only stare up at him in shock. Knives had helped her. There was no mistaking it. He'd actually saved her life. She knew that if not for him and his intervention, she'd be dead, or very close to it. "Th-thank you." She whispered, wondering at what his motives could possibly be behind such an act of kindness. She knew he wasn't kind, far from it. So why did he do it? What could he possibly gain from helping her?

"You're welcome, little spider. We'll stay here until it's cooler to travel." He moved away from her, not entirely comfortable with the questions reflected in her expressive grey eyes. He didn't want to answer, not that he could anyway. He didn't know why he'd done it and as a result he couldn't very well offer an explanation. He moved away and took a careful sip of the precious water before replacing the cap. Glancing back at her once confirmed that her eyes were still focused on him. He turned away again and sat, staring out across the desert sightlessly. They obviously couldn't move during the day, not unless he wanted a repeat of the day's occurrence. They would have to travel in the early morning and by night from now on. It was inconvenient, but all around it was probably for the best.


	4. Chapter 4

**Trigun Fanfic**

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow Shonen Gaho-sha Tokuma Shoten JVC Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication_

_or sale._

**Falcon's Blade**

_By Chiruken_

_**Chapter 4**_

It was time to continue. The suns were well on their way towards setting and the oppressive heat had diminished somewhat. He glanced over at his companion to find that she'd fallen asleep sometime during the afternoon. He sighed and faced forward again. He was tired as well, but he couldn't afford to sleep, not yet anyway. He had to find out what had the Plants so upset. Their agitation was beginning to give him a headache and was wearing his patience thin since none of them were giving him straight answers. He ground his teeth together and leaned back against the rocks. "It's so damn frustrating!"

Meryl awoke with a start and sat up quickly, looking around wildly for what startled her out of a deep sleep. It took only a moment for her sleep clouded mind to catch up and alert her to the fact that it had been Knives shouting that woke her up. She looked towards him only to discover that instead of being engaged in a fight or yelling at her he seemed to be arguing with the stars. Tilting her head to the side she debated if she should make a run for it now while she still had a chance while he was distracted or just hit him over the head and be done with it. Obviously his sanity was slipping even further down the road of Lala Land.

Sensing eyes on him, he turned and stared. "Oh. You're awake. Good." He stood abruptly, dusting sand from his backside. "Let's go."

She cleared her throat nervously as she stood. "Um...who were you talking to?"

"What?" He studied her tense features for a moment and finally shrugged. "I was speaking with my brothers and sisters, not that it helped any."

"Oh. You mean the Plants, right?"

"Who else would I be talking to, little spider? Myself?" At her pointed look he sighed. "Why am I not surprised?" It was true. He wasn't surprised that she doubted his sanity. Many did, including his twin. He shrugged and turned away. "At any rate, I didn't learn much so let's get going."

"What were you asking them about?" She hurried to close the distance, not wanting to chance being separated and getting lost. After all, he was carrying the water.

"The light." He answered shortly and pointed to the glow on the horizon.

"Wow." She murmured softly, mesmerized by the patterns dancing across the rapidly darkening sky. "Pretty."

He glanced at her with an eyebrow raised in mockery. "Pretty? Is that what you call it?" He snorted and shook his head. "Deadly, more like it."

"I don't understand." She tripped and hopped a few steps until she finally managed to catch her balance again only to find Knives stopped and staring at her. "What?" She asked crossly.

"Nothing." He faced forward again, hiding his smile from her. "The Plants tell me that where ever that light shows up, nothing is left later."

"What do you mean nothing left?"

"I don't know. They can't tell me. The brothers and sisters who were closest have stopped responding. I get the impression that everything is gone...humans, Plants, everything."

"Oh no." She closed her eyes and shook her head. "This is a nightmare. It's July and August all over again."

"Not quite. July City and August City were destroyed by Vash's Angel Arm. This is nothing like that." Knives glanced down at her trying to judge her reaction to hearing his brother's name.

She sighed and shook her head again. "This bad. There are going to be so many people left homeless again." Suddenly she stopped and stared straight ahead, a look of horror etched into her pretty features. "Oh Lord." She moaned softly.

"Now what?"

"Could it have been Vash who did it?"

"Not a chance." At her questioning look he shrugged. "Vash doesn't kill, remember? Where that light has been, only death remains...or so the Plants think."

"Okay...if you say so." She frowned, nibbling her bottom lip thoughtfully. "If it isn't Vash...who then? Is there someone else wandering around besides the two of you with Angel Arms?"

"Yeah, right." He snorted derisively. "We're two of a kind. There are no others like us, little spider."

"Somehow, hearing that is a big relief." She murmured softly, eyes moving again to the distant glow in the sky. "I wonder what that could possibly be."

"Whatever it is, it has the Plants in an uproar." He raised a hand to rub at his temple where a dull ache had formed. "Well, standing here talking about it isn't getting us any closer to knowing what it is. Let's go."

His slight grimace of pain wasn't lost on her. "Are you all right?" She asked softly.

He looked down at her, surprised by the concern he heard in her quiet tone. He blinked in surprise to see it reflected in her eyes. He bit back a sarcastic retort, deciding that, for once, he'd like to have a little peace as they traveled. "Fine. My brothers and sisters are agitated and I can feel it, that's all."

"Hmm." She pursed her lips thoughtfully before reaching inside her cloak and opening one of the many pockets. Withdrawing a small bottle she held it out to him. "Here, this might help."

He looked down at the pill bottle and froze. "Aspirin?" He asked softly, wonder in his tone. The painkiller was worth a lot of money and he found it surprising that she'd have an entire bottle of the precious drug. For her to be offering it to him gave him an indescribable feeling that he was almost afraid to acknowledge. He reached out tentatively, almost afraid that she would snatch it back and refuse him at the last moment. When she didn't he stopped and chose instead to curve her fingers around the bottle gently. "You keep it."

"It isn't poisoned, if that's what you're worried about, Knives."

He shook his head and offered her a genuine smile. "Not at all, little spider. Keep it for yourself. It may come in handy later." He turned and strode away, thinking over the odd exchange he'd just shared with his traveling companion. She'd just shown him, her known enemy, compassion and kindness. It was something Rem would've done, he was sure of it. It was also what his brother would've done. The more time he spent in her company, the more he understood why Vash seemed to like her so much. Beneath the prickly and often violent exterior she was one of the few good humans that actually existed. He smiled again and glanced over his shoulder to see her still standing where he'd left her. "Well? Are you coming or do you plan on staying there?"

"No!" She hastily placed the bottle of Aspirin in her pocket and hurried to catch up to him. For a moment, just a moment, he'd reminded her of Vash when he'd smiled at her. It was eerie, when she thought about it. The two were brothers, twins, and she'd always assumed them to be complete opposites. Now she wondered if she'd been wrong. She was discovering, in the short time they'd been together, that Knives was more like Vash than she'd first thought.


	5. Chapter 5

**Trigun Fanfic**

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow Shonen Gaho-sha Tokuma Shoten JVC Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication_

_or sale._

**Falcon's Blade**

_By Chiruken_

_**Chapter 5**_

The night sky was lit by the mysterious light glowing just beyond the horizon, rivaling the stars and moons for supremacy in the darkness. Meryl was becoming increasingly uneasy the closer they came to that strange light. "Um...Knives..." She called out hesitantly.

"What?" He didn't bother stopping, just kept walking towards the distant glow, his attention half on their surroundings and half on trying to make sense of what the Plants were gibbering about.

She hurried her steps to close the distance. "I'm not sure it's such a good idea to walk into this without knowing what we'll be facing."

He glanced down at her, annoyance clear in his narrowed blue eyes. "I didn't ask you." He returned his gaze forward and continued walking, not bothering to look back when she stopped, presumably to glare at his back.

"I'm serious!" She called after him and hurried once again to catch up so she could walk by his side. "We don't know what it is or where it is or how powerful it is or even what it wants. We need a plan, a course of action. We need to stop and ask questions, find out more about what it is we're up against."

"I told you, I didn't ask you." He glanced at her from the corner of his eye and sighed, halting his steady steps across the sand dunes. "All right. Let's say we do it your way. Every Plant that came into contact with this thing is no longer responding and is probably dead. If the Plant is dead, so are the humans that were around it. So, little spider, who should we ask? The rocks and sand?"

"Well, it's worth a try! Maybe someone survived. Maybe someone saw it, if even from a distance." She drew in a deep breath and let it out on a long sigh. "Fine. You're right. If the Plants couldn't survive, neither could the humans. But maybe if we investigated the places where they were, we might learn something about what happened." At his skeptical look she turned a pleading gaze up to him. "Come on. Please? It's better than just wandering around and probably walking into a trap. I don't know about you, but I don't want to die that way. There are things I still need to do. I haven't sent in a report to head office in weeks!"

"I'm glad to see you have your priorities straight." He turned away and frowned at the distant horizon. "All right. We'll do it your way. We'll check things out and go from there. Happy?"

"Yes, thank you." She stared straight ahead as she walked by his side. He seemed to have slowed his steps at some point to make it easier for her to keep up with him. That was surprising, but a nice surprise. She didn't want to get caught out in the desert alone with no water. He carried their supply of the precious liquid and if she fell too far behind, she was afraid that she'd die from exposure. But now that he'd slowed to accommodate her smaller stride she didn't really have to worry about that now, did she? Of course, she now had to worry _why_ he'd done it. They'd been traveling together for days, weeks actually, and she still didn't understand his motives behind allowing her to live. She wanted to ask, but was afraid of what the answer would be so she held her peace. "Do you think Vash and Millie are all right?"

"Who's Millie?" He looked to the east, checking the lightening of the sky and lowered his gaze again to study the surrounding area. They would need to find shelter soon, before the suns rose fully.

"Millie's my partner. Millie Thompson."

"Mmmm...the human with the stun gun. I remember her now." He frowned and squinted, seeing a darker shadow in the distance. If they kept up their steady pace, they'd reach it before the suns reached a dangerous height. Their water supply was becoming dangerously low and they needed to replenish it as soon as possible. Food was also becoming an increasing concern. The trail rations they carried were rapidly dwindling and soon would be as much of a concern as the depleted water. "If she's with Vash, she's still alive." He glanced at her from the corner of his eye and smirked. "Probably."

"Probably." She repeated in a low mutter. "You know what, Knives? You have such a lovely way of keeping my spirits high, did you know that? You're such a wonderfully cheerful and reassuring person to be around I can't believe my stroke of luck." She didn't bother trying to disguise the sarcasm lacing her tone.

He shrugged and pointed ahead. "Looks like a good place to make camp. Let's head there."

"Whatever." Her irritation piqued, she found herself pouting as she trudged beside him through the sand. "I don't know why you have to do that all the time."

"Do what?" He asked curiously, glancing to the east again and watching the suns rise in all their majestic beauty. This was one of his favorite times of day. Dawn...the promise of a new day with new hopes and the possibility of the future he dreamed of one day closer to completion. Of course, now that might all change. He still didn't know what the threat was, but he knew it was bad and it was possible that no one would survive for much longer...not the humans and not the Plants. If that happened, all was lost. There would be no future for him and Vash. No Eden. Just nothingness and for him, that was unacceptable.

"Be such a bastard." She sighed and shook her head sadly. "Sometimes you're so nice that I can almost like you. Then you turn around and say something incredibly heartless and cruel and I'm reminded of why I hate you so much."

"I see." He shrugged and stared straight ahead. "How would you prefer me to act? More like Vash perhaps?"

"I didn't say that. It would just be nice if you'd at least try to be less hateful, that's all." She shook her head again. "Never mind. I don't expect you to understand, all right?"

He was silent for a while, watching the rock formations draw nearer as the world was bathed in the red and orange glow of the rising suns. Finally he sighed, breaking the tense silence that had fallen between them. "I'm trying, you know." He said quietly.

"I know. And I'm sorry." She replied equally quietly. "I shouldn't have said what I did. I don't really hate you...not any more at least."

"That's gratifying. Here. We'll make camp." He gestured towards where the rocks formed a natural roof of sorts. "Get some sleep. We have another long night ahead of us."


	6. Chapter 6

**Trigun Fanfic**

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow Shonen Gaho-sha Tokuma Shoten JVC Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication_

_or sale._

**Falcon's Blade**

_By Chiruken_

_**Chapter 6**_

Meryl was jolted awake abruptly by a rough hand shaking her urgently. "Get up!" She blinked sleep away from her eyes, staring fuzzily up at Knives as he knelt by her, his gun held at the ready.

"What is it?" She whispered, sitting up slowly and looking around nervously. Something wasn't right, she could feel it. The light from the moons revealed very little, but she couldn't quite shake the feeling that something was out of place.

"Something's out there." He nodded towards the desert beyond their shelter of rocks. "You still have those guns of yours?"

She cast him a narrow look. "Of course. What makes you think I wouldn't?"

"Because you haven't tried to shoot me yet." He flashed her a quick grin before turning serious again. "Best be ready for anything, little spider. I have a feeling these spiders aren't very friendly."

She rolled her eyes but drew two derringers all the same. "Probably bandits."

"This far out?" He shrugged and inched forward, peering out into the night. "You could be right."

He didn't sound convinced to her at all. Of course, neither was she. She'd been in contact with bandits before...the Bad Lads Gang as well as the men who'd hijacked the sand steamer to crash it into a satellite station. She sighed. No, these probably weren't the same type of bandits at all. This far from civilization meant that they were probably either lost, refugees, or even worse criminals. She gripped her guns tighter, trying to prepare herself for the worst. "Knives..." She called softly. When he glanced back at her she offered him a small smile. "Be careful."

"Same to you, little spider." _This is new._ He thought distractedly. Besides Vash, no one had ever expressed concern for his well-being since he reached adult hood. He rather liked the feeling it gave him. Blue eyes narrowing grimly, he stepped out from the shelter of the rocks, gun held loosely at his side, and found himself facing twenty rough looking men. His cold gaze moved over them, taking in their shabby appearance, and immediately dismissed them as any real threat to him. Meryl, on the other hand, would be in a whole mess of trouble with this bunch.

"Well, well, well. What do we got here? A lone traveler, eh?" One of the men stepped forward, obviously the spokesman for the ragtag group. "Are ya lost, buddy?"

"Not at all." He had six bullets in his gun, Meryl had two in each of hers, which made eight. They were twelve shots short of taking them all out at once. He tilted his head to the side in careful consideration. The Angel Arm could do it, but it seemed such a waste on such a meager target. He didn't deem a mere twenty humans worth the effort of generating the Angel Arm. He smiled, an almost gentle expression, and chose his course of action. Raising his left hand he allowed a ball of energy to form in the short distance between himself and the group of humans.

Meryl peeked out from behind the rocks and gasped in horrified shock. "Oh no." She moaned softly. Knives was terribly outnumbered and like a cornered beast was attacking the threat in the best way he knew how. "Oh Knives...don't do it." She whispered softly, knowing that there was no way she could stop him. Unlike Vash, he didn't value human lives at all.

"What the hell is that thing?!" Sensing danger, the bandits began to back away quickly as the ball of energy grew before them.

"A little surprise." Knives' smile grew wider. He was rather enjoying watching them nearly wet themselves in terror. A sound from directly behind him distracted him and he turned abruptly only to see Meryl crouched amongst the rocks and watching him. Her expressive grey eyes were huge in her pale face and filled with tears. Somehow, he hated to see that look on her face. It didn't suit her at all. Instinctively he knew it was because of what he was about to do that she was looking at him like that. He turned abruptly away and glared at the men cowering on the ground before him. Baring his teeth in a snarl of rage, he closed his hand into a fist, dispersing the energy in an instant. "Get out of here." He commanded, enunciating each word forcefully. He noted the bandits wasted no time in fleeing with grim amusement.

Meryl swallowed with difficulty passed the lump forming in her throat and stood slowly. Her hands were shaking so badly she was afraid she'd pull the trigger on her guns by accident and shoot herself in the foot so she dropped them to the rocky ground with a clatter. "Knives..." She whispered softly and reached out a hand tentatively towards him. "Why?"

"Don't ask such a stupid question." He closed his eyes and drew in several deep breaths in an effort to calm the roiling emotions threatening to erode his control completely.

"All right." She murmured softly and turned away, staring in the direction the men had gone. "Do you suppose they'll be back?"

"Not likely." Finally feeling more in control of himself, he turned to face her. "Let's go."

"Go?" She echoed confusedly. "What do you mean?"

"It's after dark. It's time to go." He turned away and began walking.

"Can I at least have a minute to put my boots back on?" She called after his retreating back. When he didn't stop or turn around she scowled. "Fine. Be that way." Hurriedly retrieving her dropped derringers, she hopped around pulling her boots on as she tried to hurry after him. "Honestly. Would it kill him to wait the two minutes it would take for me to put my boots on?" She paused and stared at his back for a moment. "Still...he did let those men go. Maybe he is changing after all."


	7. Chapter 7

**Trigun Fanfic**

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow Shonen Gaho-sha Tokuma Shoten JVC Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication_

_or sale._

**Falcon's Blade**

_By Chiruken_

_**Chapter 7**_

Meryl stared at the scene before her numb with shock. "Oh. My. God." She whispered brokenly and closed her eyes tightly against the horrifying sight.

Knives stared at the panoramic view of mass destruction silently. He'd never seen such devastation. The Angel Arms had nothing on this, nothing at all. The amount of destructive energy that would be needed for such a result was mind boggling. He knew a city had been here, complete with a fully functional Plant, not two days before. He'd communicated with the Plant, spoken to it, tried to find answers to the questions he had, and then it had gone silent. Now he knew why. There wasn't even so much as a chunk of debris left to show that anything had ever existed on this spot. His eyes traced the harsh glare slowly, carefully taking in every detail.

"The...the sand...it's like glass. What could have caused this?" Meryl moved closer to Knives, needing the comfort the presence of another living being offered and not caring that he was the last person that would offer her that comfort.

"Heat. A tremendous heat caused the sand to fuse together. Amazing." He shook his head, the intellectual part of him marveling at the show of power spread out before him, while the more emotional part felt like weeping for the death of his sister.

"Amazing?" She shook her head in return and wrapped her arms around herself in a protective gesture. "More like horrifying if you ask me. This is terrible, just terrible. How could anyone survive such devastation?"

"They couldn't." He answered grimly. "Let's go around, little spider. There's no telling how long it'll take for it to cool enough to allow passage."

She nodded mutely and followed as he began to make his way around the glassy area that once was a city full of people. "How far do you think it reaches?" She asked after they'd been walking for nearly an hour.

"Who knows?" He shrugged and squinted into the distance. "Looks pretty far to me." He added quietly.

"I-I don't like it here, Knives...what if whoever did this comes back? We're targets just waiting to be picked off here."

"Hmmm." He murmured noncommittally and continued walking, lost in thought. He couldn't fathom the type of weapon that could cause such devastation. The Angel Arms were powerful enough to destroy cities; however, they weren't strong enough to do something like this. Could this be the result of the blue light they'd been seeing at night as they traveled? If so, what caused the light? Or rather, who controlled the light? Whoever or whatever it was, all life on the planet was in danger now. Humans and Plants were being attacked and killed and it pained him to think of his brothers and sisters perishing in such a vile way. He could care less about the humans, but he knew his twin would be wherever the danger was the worst trying to protect them and possibly placing himself in the line of fire to do so. He stopped abruptly and stared sightlessly ahead, horrified at the thought of losing his brother and being completely alone in the world. What good would be finally accomplishing creating their Eden if Vash weren't with him to share it?

"Knives?" Meryl stared at his back for several moments waiting for a reply. When she didn't receive one she moved around him and looked up to see the strangest expression on his face. "Are you okay?" She asked softly, alarmed by the way he was just staring straight ahead.

"Where's Vash?" He asked harshly and looked down at the small woman staring at him with concern reflected in her eyes. "Where is he? Do you know?"

She shook her head slowly. "We got separated in April City...just before we met up."

"April City." He muttered under his breath and closed his eyes, concentrating on searching through the Plants for his twin. None of them seemed to have seen him much less communicated with him. "This is bad." He turned around and stared back the way they'd come. "It's too far to go back."

"Knives, tell me please, what's wrong? Is something wrong with Vash?" Meryl placed her hand on his arm and leaned closer, gazing up into his tense features pleadingly.

"I don't know. I don't know." He closed his eyes and pulled away from her. "All right." He drew in a deep, calming breath and when he opened his eyes all traces of anxiety were gone, replaced by grim determination. "Let's go. If we walk all night we should reach January City by midday tomorrow." He looked down at her again. "You can do it, can't you, little spider?"

Pressing her lips together into a tight line she nodded. "I can." _Or die trying._ She silently added.

"Good. Because if we don't get there, we're finished. We're almost out of water." He knew he should leave her behind, it would be the intelligent thing to do, but he couldn't bring himself to abandon her like that. It would be.wrong. Life was so much simpler when he didn't give a damn about anyone except himself and his brother.

"No...water?" She asked haltingly. "Oh no." She closed her eyes and shuddered. If they didn't get to January City by the time he said they should, she may as well curl up in a ball and wait for death to claim her. "Well, let's get going then. Sooner there, the sooner we can replenish our supplies, right?" She forced a cheerful smile and strode passed him, hoping she was heading in the right direction. "Maybe when we get there we can get a hotel room and I can have a bath. Oh man...that would be wonderful. A bath...to be clean again. It sounds heavenly."

He shook his head and followed quickly, not wanting to let her out of his sight. "Stay to the left of the glass field and go straight." He ordered softly, studying the placement of the stars overhead. All landmarks were irreversibly altered beyond recognition so they had nothing else to rely on but the stars for navigation. He hoped that, for once, his brother used a bit of discretion and didn't try to save everyone single handedly. Somehow he doubted that would ever happen. Vash was too caught up in his Love and Peace babble to even think of saving himself first before others. It was enough to make Knives very nervous. He glanced towards his companion and shivered. If Vash got himself killed, he certainly didn't envy the poor bastard that did it. He had a feeling that Meryl would track them down and hurt them very, very badly. He was infinitely thankful that he hadn't actually killed Vash the last time they fought. Having Meryl Stryfe for an enemy wouldn't be pleasant at all. He smiled at the thought and shrugged. He could actually admire her tenacity and courage even if he felt it was grossly misplaced most of the time.


	8. Chapter 8

**Trigun Fanfic**

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow Shonen Gaho-sha Tokuma Shoten JVC Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication_

_or sale._

**Falcon's Blade**

_By Chiruken_

_**Chapter 8**_

The destruction continued on and on and Meryl was beginning to despair. Their precious water supply was gone and they hadn't found January City and they hadn't found any other signs of life besides themselves. _This is it. I'm going to die. I'm going to die and I never told Vash how I really feel about him._ Despair well up within her she slowly sank to the ground. She wanted to cry, but she couldn't. The feelings within her went too deep even for that. "I don't want to die out here with you!" She cried to Knives retreating back.

Halting, he turned and stared at her where she knelt. "Then get up and keep walking." When she didn't move he scowled and retraced his steps back to her. "I said get up." She was now his only link to his brother and he'd be damned if he let her just give up like this. Reaching down, he grabbed her by her travel stained cloak and lifted her to her feet, shaking her for good measure. "Get a hold of yourself. You're not dead yet but if you keep trying my patience I may just kill you myself." He shook her one last time and released his hold on her half expecting her to crumple into a heap at his feet again. He was mildly surprised when she didn't and glared at him instead.

"I'm being miserable and despondent here! Can't you even respect that, Knives?" She sighed and shook her head. He was right and she knew it. She couldn't give up, not yet. There was still so much that she needed to do. She couldn't just let herself wallow in self-misery. "All right. Now what? We have no water, barely any food, and there's no sign of anything that might fix that. What do you suggest we do?"

"Keep walking. There has to be something out here." He turned away and scanned the horizon, squinting against the glare of the suns shining off the mirror-like surface of the desert turned glass. "Not everything could be gone." He muttered under his breath.

"Okay. We keep walking. I can do that. I think." _One step in front of the other...that's it. Keep walking._ "You know, this is a pretty lousy plan you have here."

"If you can think of anything else, I'm willing to listen to suggestions."

"Well, we know how far we've come this way." She paused and turned to look back the way they'd come. "We could go back and try to find..."

Suddenly he stopped, tilting his head to the side in concentration. "Shh."

"What?"

"Shut up. I'm listening." Scowling, he turned to the left and stared. He wasn't mistaken. He could definitely sense an operational Plant nearby. Grabbing her arm he began leading her in the direction he thought it should be in.

"What are you doing? Let go of my arm! Ouch! You're hurting me!" His grip had tightened painfully and she knew she'd have bruises later to match the size of his hand.

"If you don't shut up I'll do a lot more than hurt you, little spider." Despite the harshness of his words he loosened his hold a little and continued to pull her along behind him. If his suspicions proved correct, they might actually live a little longer. Mounting a crest in the unending desert he halted and stared.

"Now what?" Meryl muttered under her breath and followed the direction of his gaze. "Wh-what is that?" She whispered in awe.

"A ship." He replied distractedly. "An amazingly intact ship." The letters on the side, though faded, clearly read 'Project Seeds'. He scanned the area and he began to see what had happened. The same destruction that had altered the landscape irrevocably had also unearthed this relic of the distant past. "I'll be damned." Tugging on her arm she started towards the ship towering above them. "Come on."

Meryl soon discovered that the ship had appeared closer than it actually was. It's immense size had made the distance deceiving. "Wait." She moaned softly. "I-I need a break."

He glared down at her as she slowly sank to her knees. "If you stop now you'll die."

She shook her head and leaned forward trying to catch her breath. "Unlike you, I don't have limitless stamina, Knives. I can't keep up with you." She sighed and shook her head again. "Look. You go on. I'll stay here."

His eyes narrowed and his scowl deepened. It was obvious that she couldn't continue. Her human body had reached the limits of its endurance. He had to admit that she'd surprised him thus far, but now the flaw of her kind was showing through. "So, you're just going to give up?" Lips pressed together into a tight, thin line he leaned down. "I won't let you." Grabbing her by the arms, he lifted her to her feet where she swayed unsteadily. The next instant he slung her over his shoulder and continued towards the ship and the promise of relief.

Meryl was stunned speechless for several moments. "Wh-what do you think you're doing?!" She gasped, her stomach coming into painful contact with his shoulder as he skirted around large boulders in their path. "Ouch!" She whimpered and bit her lip to refrain from complaining too much.

"I'm saving your life, little spider. What does it look like?" He shifted his grip on her legs and studied the rocky terrain. Tilting his head to the side he frowned thoughtfully. "In my memory this is supposed to be a mountain."

"A mountain?" She twisted around and tried to see what he was looking at. "Have you been here before?"

He nodded and continued forward, picking his way carefully through the treacherous terrain. "Some time ago, but mountains don't collapse so easily."

"Maybe that light had something to do with it." She stared down at the ground and sighed. "Look, I appreciate what you're doing, Knives, but you can put me down. I can walk, you know."

"Right. You'll just slow me down or collapse again. Just shut up and hold still. We're almost there."

"I don't like being carted around like a sack of potatoes!" She squeaked in alarm when she was abruptly dropped. Pain flared in her abused backside bringing the sting of tears to her eyes. "Look, you! That's no way to treat..." Her words trailed off as her surroundings finally registered in her anger clouded mind. "Wow." She whispered softly as she stared up at the hulking monolith, a testament to the indomitable spirit of humans and their will to survive. "Oh, wow. It's...huge!"


	9. Chapter 9

**Trigun Fanfic**

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow Shonen Gaho-sha Tokuma Shoten JVC Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication_

_or sale._

**Falcon's Blade**

_By Chiruken_

_**Chapter 9**_

Knives stared at the sealed door in the side of the ship and frowned in concentration. There had to be a way to open it, but how? Running his hand along the sides, he brushed away over a century of dirt and grime that had built up, finally revealing a keypad, the numbers still glowing faintly in the bright sunlight. "I'll be damned." He muttered under his breath in awe.

From where she sat at his feet, back braced against the ship's exterior, Meryl stared up at Knives with a puzzled frown. "How do we get in?"

"The door, of course." He answered distractedly as he studied the readout and pushed the keys randomly.

"Of course." She muttered crossly. "What door?"

"This door." He gestured at what he considered obvious. "Password...password...what's the password?" He scowled and continued punching in random sets of numbers and letters to no avail.

"There's a password? Hmm...what could it be I wonder?" Pushing herself to her feet she leaned against the ship and peered around his arm to watch the display screen. "Amazing!"

After nearly twenty minutes of trying to open the door and failing, Knives was beginning to lose his patience. "What the hell could it be?"

Meryl sighed and pushed her damp hair out of her eyes. She was beginning to feel alarmingly lightheaded. "Love and peace..." She muttered, falling over to the side.

He glanced down at her. "What was that?" He blinked in surprise to find her sprawled out on the sand. "What are you doing?" When he didn't receive a reply he knelt and shook his head. "We have to get in there now." He stood and stared at the door again. "What would a human use as a password?" He looked down at the unconscious woman and stared hard at her, her features so like those of a woman who had died over a hundred years before. Turning back to the keypad he raised his hand, finger poised over the keys. "Well, it's worth a try." Lightly pressing each letter until all four were inputted, he paused for a moment before pressing the enter key. To his surprise the door slid open. "I'll be damned." He stared at the display where the four letters continued to glow steadily and 'hope' stared back at him.

Meryl felt her body being lifted and then carried. An instant later the heat of the suns no longer scorched her skin and coolness washed over her. It felt wonderful. She forced her eyes to open a little and she saw a sterile steel wall reflecting her image back to her. She blinked groggily and closed her eyes again. She could've sworn she was being carried by Knives. Her last conscious thought before sliding back into the oblivion of darkness was that her life had definitely gotten complicated since she met Vash.

Pausing, Knives glanced over his shoulder to watch the door slide shut, blocking out the oppressive heat of the desert. He looked down at the woman cradled in his arms and sighed. "What is wrong with me?" He was doing things he normally wouldn't. He'd let the woman live, cared for her somewhat during their journey across the desert, allowed a group of humans to live when they attacked him. Yes, he was definitely losing his mind. "Stupid spider." He muttered under his breath as he turned and began walking down the wide corridor. It was all her fault. She'd done this to him, somehow got under his skin and affected him in ways he'd never imagined possible. Now, he could almost understand his brother's fascination with the humans...almost.

Pausing at an intersection of corridors, he looked both ways before choosing the left passage. If this ship was laid out the same as the one he'd lived on before coming to this planet he should find what he needed in this direction. The first thing he needed to do if he intended to save the little spider's life was get her to the medical station and re-hydrate her. If he was lucky, the medical equipment and supplies would be intact just like the rest of the ship.

Steps echoing eerily in the deserted halls he was reminded of the time he'd spent in space during his youth. That ship had been nearly deserted as well, only five humans and his brother around to break the monotony. He wondered if the sleep pods still contained the human cargo held in suspended animation. He shuddered and pushed the thought from his mind. That's all he needed...more parasites to worry about.

The door slid open with a quiet shushing sound and he found himself standing in the pristine sterilization of the ship's medical station. Lights blinked on the consoles indicating readiness and he blinked in surprise. It was almost as if time had stopped for the ship. Depositing his burden on one of the gurneys, he began searching for the supplies he'd need. It didn't take long before he'd found exactly what he needed. Returning to her side he studied her sleeping features for a moment before sighing. He'd probably get an earful when she regained consciousness, but what he was about to do was necessary.

It only took a few minutes to strip her clothes off of her and toss them aside. He tried unsuccessfully to ignore her very feminine form as it lay bared to his sight. "Now for the moment of truth." He muttered as he held a basin beneath a tap and pushed a blue button beside it. A quick, genuine smile crossed his stern features when a steady stream of water ran into the basin. Dipping his fingers into the clear liquid he closed his eyes and sighed. It was cool and wet and smelled heavenly. Shutting off the water dispenser he returned to his companion's side and dipped a cloth into the cool water and wrung it out. Carefully he began to run the wet cloth over her small form, carefully removing the remnants of their trek through the desert.

Meryl moaned softly. Dimly, outside of the insulating darkness she'd retreated to, she could feel gentle hands on her aching and parched body. She shivered, feeling coolness replace the burning heat she'd been feeling for so long, and moaned again. She fought against the return of awareness, preferring to remain within the cocoon of oblivion. But what was this new feeling? Something wet was being pressed against her skin, moving over it. One by one her limbs were lifted and the wet thing was moved over her flesh leaving a refreshed sensation in its wake. It felt...good.

Knives looked down at her when she moaned and froze, expecting to find her eyes open and promising murder. But no, she was still unconscious. He could feel a guilty flush working its way up his neck into his face as he continued to bathe her. He was enjoying his ministrations way too much and he knew it. Dipping the cloth into the basin again, he frowned as he tried to understand the strange feelings flooding his awareness. He shouldn't feel this way, not towards a human...and especially not this one. Wringing out the cloth again, he passed it over her delicate features, pausing to brush her dark hair away from her eyes. His gaze fell to her lips, slightly parted, her breath emerging in light puffs to brush across his own. Blinking in shock, he pulled back fast and stared down at her, his heart pounding painfully against his ribs. "Shit." He muttered and turned away abruptly. He wasn't losing his mind at all...he'd already lost it! "Must've gotten fried in the desert."

Forcing his mind away from dangerous paths, he hurriedly finished cleansing the dust and sweat from her small body before reaching for the intravenous needle. After carefully inserting it into her arm and taping it in place he pulled a white sheet over her, covering her soft feminine curves from his view. He felt much more in control now that he couldn't look at her naked form any more. He looked down at her travel stained clothes and grimaced. There was no way he was letting her wear those filthy things in his presence. He shuddered and bent to retrieve them grimly. He was many things and most of them vile, but he was fastidious about cleanliness and this taxed his senses to the limit. Looking around he quickly spotted a sterilization unit and breathed a soft sigh of relief before stuffing the clothing into it for cleansing. Her clothes would be clean when she awakened.

Returning to her side he stared down at her peacefully sleeping face and shook his head. It really was a shame that not all humans were like this one. The sorry truth was that the majority were like Steve, the man who'd beat his brother and himself aboard the ship when they'd been children. Ugly, hateful and brutal, not caring to learn tolerance towards those different than himself he'd chosen instead to take his insecurities out on children who couldn't fight back. Knives scowled and forcefully pushed the memories away. He didn't like to remember that painful time in his life. He chose to remember the feeling of satisfaction he'd had when the ships holding their human cargo had plummeted to the planet's surface. He closed his eyes and shook his head. Yes, he'd felt satisfaction, but it had been tainted by bitterness. He'd driven his brother away by exacting revenge on the humans who'd tormented them and used the other Plants so callously. They deserved to die for their crimes...didn't they? Looking down at his companion he wondered if maybe, just maybe, he'd been wrong.


	10. Chapter 10

**Trigun Fanfic**

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow Shonen Gaho-sha Tokuma Shoten JVC Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication_

_or sale._

**Falcon's Blade**

_By Chiruken_

_**Chapter 10**_

Slowly Meryl became aware of herself again. She had no idea how long she'd been unconscious, but obviously something had happened during that time. Somehow, miraculously, she felt refreshed...and cool. Frowning she licked her lips, discovering that they were no longer cracked and parched. She felt clean, too...and naked. Her eyes snapped open and she stared up at the ceiling a hot flush of mortification staining her cheeks pink. She _was_ naked! Clutching a thin sheet to her bare form she sat up and winced, looking at her left arm in surprise. "An...iv?" She blinked and stared. There was only one person who could have tended to her like this. She turned her head slowly, almost afraid, and gasped when her gaze fell on Knives sprawled in a chair beside her bed, asleep. Peeking beneath the sheet her suspicions were confirmed. She was without a stitch of clothing. There was only one way she could have gotten that way, too. Knives must have stripped her! Covering her face she squeezed her eyes shut tight and moaned softly. "Oh man." Of all the people to have seen her naked it had to be Knives!

Carefully slipping off the bed she wrapped the blanket around herself, taking care to not pull the iv out of her arm, and began to search for her clothes. It took only a few minutes to discover that they were no where to be found. Silently seething, she returned to his side and glared down at him. Slowly her expression softened. He'd taken care of her before himself, she realized as she studied his weary features. In fact, if she weren't mistaken, he hadn't taken care of himself at all. Sighing softly, she reached out and gently touched his shoulder.

Startled, Knives jumped up and looked around wildly, his gaze falling first to the gurney where he'd left Meryl only to discover that she was missing. "Oh crap!" Whirling he blinked in surprise. "Oh. There you are." He released a sigh of relief. The thought of her wandering around the corridors of the ship in a delirium had nearly sent him into a panic. If she'd inadvertently entered a storage bay containing the Guardians she might have gotten herself fried for her curiosity.

"Where else would I be?" She rolled her eyes and glared at him crossly. "You took my clothes off!" She accused hotly.

He shrugged and stretched. "They were filthy." He glanced towards the sterilization unit and grimaced when he saw that it was still cycling. "It'll be a while before they're clean."

"What am I supposed to wear in the meantime? I can't wander around in a sheet, you know." She squeaked and back-peddled quickly when he moved closer to her. "What are you doing?"

"Removing the iv, of course. What else would I be doing, little spider?" Grabbing her arm, he held it steady as he gently removed the needle and set it aside. "Feeling better?" He asked suddenly. She looked better, but appearances could be deceiving as he well knew. Just take his brother, for example. He could be shot and bleeding to death, but he'd still be making wisecracks and generally getting on everyone's nerves until he collapsed.

"Um...yeah. I am, thank you." Looking down at the floor she swallowed and shuffled her bare feet. "Um...Knives...thanks for, you know...saving my life." She looked up and smiled. "I would've died if not for you."

He shrugged and turned away, not entirely comfortable with the softness that had entered her grey eyes. "You're welcome." He muttered and stepped away from her. "Are you hungry?"

"Actually..." She blushed when her stomach rumbled at the mention of the possibility of food. "Yes, I am."

"The food generator is still operational. I'll show you how to use it if you like." He gestured towards the far wall where a row of lights blinked indicating readiness. It took only a few minutes to show her how to operate the equipment and he stood back watching her enthusiastic expression as she tentatively created a light meal for herself.

"This is amazing! I never dreamed anything like this could be possible." She sighed and looked around. "Lost technology...I never would've guessed it would be anything like this."

"It's what kept the first humans on this planet alive." He turned away but was unable to keep his bitterness hidden.

Setting her plate aside, the food untouched she studied the tense set to his shoulders for a moment. "Knives..." She began tentatively. "Why do you hate us so much?" She asked softly.

He was about to repeat what he usually said, his usual speech about the parasitic creatures known as humans, when he stopped. He didn't know if it was being inside a ship again or if it was Meryl herself, but he felt compelled to be somewhat honest. "Humans are creatures possessing a fear of the unknown. That fear leads them to lash out and attempt to either assimilate the unknown or destroy it. In my experience the destructive tendencies of the humans was...unacceptable."

"Oh." She murmured softly and leaned against the wall behind her. "What happened?"

He gave her a sharp look that softened immediately when he saw her expression filled with curiosity and compassion. "When Vash and I first came to be amongst humans there was a woman...Rem...who took care of us. She was like a mother and teacher to us. She was kind and compassionate..." He tilted his head to the side in consideration. "You're a lot like her, I suppose."

"Rem." She murmured and closed her eyes. "I've heard that name before."

"Probably from Vash. He was more attached to her than I ever was." He looked away and cleared his throat before continuing. "It didn't take long before the humans on the ship discovered just how different we were from them. Our intellect far surpassed theirs as well as our capacity to memorize data. We mastered the technology of the ship within months though Vash hid it better than I did. In the span of one year we took on the appearance of a ten year old human child. We were called monsters. Vash...took it the hardest. He always was more sensitive."

"How terrible." Her heart went out to the children Vash and Knives had been and felt anger towards those who had caused them so much pain.

"Vash rarely received more than verbal abuse, which was bad enough. I was the one to receive the most physical abuse. Of course, we heal faster than humans which only added fuel to the fire, so to speak." A soft buzzing could be heard from the sterilization unit. "Your clothes should be clean." He crossed the medical station and retrieved the now clean clothing and tossed them to her. "Here. Get dressed." He then quickly left her alone. He'd never spoken so much about his past before and he wondered why he'd chosen to do so with her of all people.

Meryl stared at the door he'd gone through. She felt she understood his hatred for humans a little better now. "What a terrible way to grow up." She murmured softly as she slowly pulled her clothes back on, reveling in the way the white almost sparkled in the artificial lighting of the medical station. "Wow. Simply amazing."


	11. Chapter 11

**Trigun Fanfic**

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow Shonen Gaho-sha Tokuma Shoten JVC Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication_

_or sale._

**Falcon's Blade**

_By Chiruken_

_**Chapter 11**_

Why had he told her all of that? Knives couldn't begin to understand what had breached his usual reluctance to share anything of himself with anyone other than Vash. What was it about his little spider that made him want to reveal the cause of his need to rid the universe of humans? He halted abruptly, his footsteps echoing in the empty corridor and stared straight ahead, a look of horror crossing his features. _His_ little spider?! Where the hell had that thought come from? She wasn't _his_ anything! She was an annoyance, a diversion from his goal, nothing more. She was nothing to him, nothing at all.

Blue eyes narrowing in irritation he tried to ignore the little voice in the back of his mind that asked if she was nothing to him, then why had he gone to so much trouble to ensure her survival? Frustrated that his thoughts kept returning to the woman, he shook his head sharply and continued walking.

The ship appeared to be fully functional despite the years of being buried beneath the sand and rock. He was counting on that. If the medical facility had been working as well as the food dispensers, then maybe the sensors were also operational. If they were, then maybe he could analyze the readings and discover the cause of the massive destruction that had taken place in the vicinity. A grim smile tilted his lips upwards. The Plant hadn't been able to offer any explanation, having been out of touch with her brothers and sisters since landing on the planet just over a century before. He had, through his communication with her, discovered that upon entry into the planet's atmosphere all life support had failed and the crew and passengers had all died, the sleeping humans in the pods included. That meant he had at least a hundred less humans to contend with later which placed him in a somewhat better mood than he had been experiencing before.

Knives entered the bridge and stopped, his eyes falling on the remains of the crew. His head tilted to the side in consideration, observing their positions. They'd obviously died at their posts in a futile attempt to stop the ship from its plummet to the planet's surface. He shrugged and stepped over the skeletons in their tattered body suits, all that remained of the crew. A sharp gasp from behind him caught his attention and he turned to find Meryl standing in the doorway staring at the dead humans. "They're dead, little spider. Does that make you sad?" He tilted his head to the side in curiosity.

"I didn't know them, Knives." Shaking herself out of her momentary stupor caused by horror, she stepped through the door and carefully avoided looking at the skeletons again. "I'm sad that they died like this, but I can't grieve for people who died long before I was born."

"Hmmm..." He smiled and held his hand out to her in a gesture of invitation. "Come. This might interest you."

Swallowing her trepidation, she crossed the oddly shaped room and looked at his outstretched hand for a moment before hesitantly placing hers in it. His strong fingers closed around hers and he tugged her to his side. "What is this place?" She swallowed and blushed at the slight waver in her voice. If he heard it, he gave no indication and continued to lead her forward.

"This is the bridge, the command center for the ship. It's also an observation deck of sorts." He halted by a blank screen and, not releasing her, reached with his free hand to toggle the switch, bringing it to life.

"Oh my God!" Meryl stared in shock at the scene spread out before her. "Wh-what is this?"

"Just what it looks like, little spider. That is the surrounding area. From here, we can clearly see the true extent of the devastation caused by that unknown weapon." It was, he could see, worse than he'd first anticipated. Iles upon iles of desert had been turned to glass, all possibility of life eradicated...both human and Plant. Oh yes, it was far worse than he could ever have imagined.

"Y-you don't suppose..." Her voice trailed off and she drew in a shallow breath before attempting to continue. "You don't suppose we're the only ones left alive, do you?"

He glanced at her when her fingers tightened around his and he tugged her a little closer to his side. "No, little spider, we aren't the only ones." He didn't want to think of that possibility. If that were true, then Vash was also dead and he wouldn't accept that even as a theory. He turned away from the view screen and scanned the bridge, searching for the equipment he'd originally come to investigate. "Come." He glanced down at her when she didn't respond or move to find her staring at the screen, grey eyes large in her pale face. He quickly blanked the screen. "Come on. Let's check the sensor readouts."

"Sensor...readouts?" She echoed uncertainly, the terminology unfamiliar to her. She shivered and closed her eyes tightly shut when he led her to a chair currently occupied by one of the dead crew members. She gulped loudly when she heard the clatter of bones hitting the floor. "Th- they deserve a little respect, Knives."

"They're dead. They don't care." He sat in the now vacant seat and released her hand to operate the console. "Hmm..." He frowned, his fingers moving over the keys expertly as he stared at the screen before him.

Opening her eyes slowly, she peered over his shoulder to watch. "What are you doing now?" Her eyes followed the movements of his hands as they seemed to fly over the strange looking desktop with glowing lights and buttons with odd symbols etched into them.

"Bringing the sensor monitors online so we can analyze the data collected and stored in the memory banks."

"Huh?" Shaking her head sharply she sighed. "Never mind. Explain it to me later. I think I'm undergoing a brain overload at the moment."

Glancing up at her he chuckled. "A little overwhelming for you, little spider? Don't worry, it isn't too complicated." He returned his attention to the computer and frowned in concentration. Every ship was basically the same; however, each crew member used different methods for data storage and retrieval. It was a matter of discovering which these particular crew members had chosen to use. "The sensors, mounted on the exterior of the ship, relay data to the main computers for future analysis by the programmes set up for that purpose before being relayed to the human operators. It doesn't matter how they do it, they just do. All we have to do is retrieve the information and we might get some answers."

"Okay." She leaned a little closer, fascinated by the way his hands were moving with such confident speed over the keys. "You sure know a lot about this lost technology, Knives." She sighed wistfully. "I actually envy you."

He looked away from the monitor again and gave her a hard look. "Do you know how incredibly stupid you just sounded?"

She backed away quickly and looked away, unable to meet the hostility in his cold blue gaze. "I'm sorry." She whispered and moved a little further away, sitting in a chair a short distance from him. She stared at the floor, unwilling to chance meeting his chilling gaze again. _Good going, Meryl._ She thought bitterly. _Just when you were starting to get along with him you had to go and remind him how much he hates humans. Oh yes...real intelligent._ "God, I'm such a dork." She muttered under her breath and closed her hands into fists on her lap.

Knives glared at her bowed head for a moment before turning his attention back to the task at hand. He wasn't certain why her comment had angered him so much, but coming from her it had been unexpected and infinitely infuriating. _She envies me._ He thought grimly. _She wouldn't think so if she knew the price we pay for this knowledge._ He scowled at the screen, for a moment her features superimposing themselves over the tiny glowing letters dancing across the screen, her expression uncertain as she stared at him, grey eyes slowly filling with trust. He could almost feel the coolness of her fingers against his own again. He closed his eyes and when he opened them again the image was gone. "Son of a bitch." He muttered before swiveling his chair to face her. "Come here." He commanded sharply.

Looking up quickly at the suddenness of his harsh command she blinked in surprise. "Excuse me?" She whispered softly as she continued to stare at him uncertainly.

"I said come here." Irritation laced his tone but he didn't bother trying to soften it. "Hurry up. I don't have all day."

Slowly standing, she moved closer reluctantly. "Okay, I'm here. Now what?" She shrieked when he grabbed her and dragged her closer until she fell into his lap. "Knives! What do you think you're doing?!" She stared at his reflection in the screen in astonishment.

"See this button?" He pointed to the key he'd indicated and waited until she looked. "It's glowing green to indicate that it's in standby mode, ready to be activated. The red one indicates that it's still offline." One handed, he typed in a few commands. "I'm attempting to bring all the systems online. The commands are simple once you know them. Essentially 'run programme' and 'execute' are all that you need to know...at least for this system. Don't try it with the weapons system...you might end up blowing yourself up."

Meryl stared at his reflection, eyes wide with shock, lips parted slightly as she listened to his instructions. He was teaching her, she realized with no small amount of surprise. He was actually attempting to teach her how to use the lost technology. Slowly a soft smile curved her lips upwards. She'd been right. He _was_ changing and for the better. She found that she liked him...a lot...more than she should. She listened attentively as he instructed her on the operation of the sensor system, eyes following the movements of his hands, carefully memorizing which buttons accompanied certain commands. A sudden thought came unbidden to her mind. _He has beautiful hands._


	12. Chapter 12

**Trigun Fanfic**

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow Shonen Gaho-sha Tokuma Shoten JVC Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication_

_or sale._

**Falcon's Blade**

_By Chiruken_

_**Chapter 12**_

Meryl lay curled up on her side sleeping fitfully, plagued by nightmares of blue lights and windows interspersed with dancing skeletons singing in Legato's eerie voice. Occasionally she'd whimper and shift, throwing her blankets to the floor. "Mmmm..." The skeletons stared at her with their empty eyes, their fleshless mouths seeming to be laughing at her as she ran through tunnels filled with lost technology. "No..." She tossed her head and rolled to her back, a soft moan escaping her parted lips.

Knives sat up slowly and glared in Meryl's direction. Her moans and whimpers were keeping him awake and it was beginning to annoy him. He sighed and shook his head when he caught sight of her troubled expression. Obviously she wasn't having a restful sleep either. Running a hand through his hair he considered his options and finally shook his head again before standing and crossing over to her. Crouching down he poked her arm with one finger. "Hey." When she didn't respond, only mumbled something unintelligible he frowned and grasped her shoulder, shaking her lightly. "Wake up."

Awakening with a jolt she sat bolt upright with a scream, after images from her nightmare clouding her sleep fogged mind. Turning, she spotted Knives staring at her in surprise and, without thinking, she threw herself into his arms, sobbing fitfully. "It was horrible! Dancing skeletons were chasing me!"

"Uh..." Awkwardly he placed his arms around her, thinking that, despite the sobs shaking her slender form, it felt nice to hold her. He was, oddly enough, reminded of Vash when they'd been children and he'd awaken, terrified, from a nightmare. His brother had been susceptible to night terrors and often Knives had found himself consoling his twin through the irrational fears. "I-it was just a dream, little spider. Nothing will hurt you here, I promise. Dead things don't move."

She shook her head and sniffled loudly. "Yes they do." She whimpered pitifully and burrowed her face into his chest, muffling her voice and making it difficult for Knives to understand what she was saying. "Legato did it. He made the dead walk and talk."

"Puppets, nothing more." He frowned, thinking of his former follower. Vash had killed him, which had been a surprise. Knives hadn't expected his brother to throw away his beliefs to kill Legato, but he had...to save this woman he now held in his arms. Closing his eyes, he thought that, for a human, she was much more powerful than he'd previously given her credit for. Even now, terrified by imagined horrors, she was exerting her strength. He sighed and gently smoothed his hand over her back. "Legato was a freak talented at preying on the fears within the human mind...and completely insane. He's dead and he can't hurt you from the grave." He'd never liked the man but had found his talents useful in his plan to eradicate the humans he hated so much.

Sniffling, Meryl pulled back and looked up in surprise. "Knives?" She whispered softly, uncertainly.

Raising one eyebrow he regarded her archly. "Did you expect someone else to be here?" He doubted he'd ever understand humans, especially the females.

She shook her head slowly and blushed, suddenly aware that his arms were still around her and that it felt...nice, comforting, even. "I-I'm sorry." She murmured and tried to pull away from him. Slowly, with seeming reluctance, he allowed his arms to fall away. She cleared her throat and looked away, anywhere but at the man kneeling before her. "I'm sorry if I woke you. I didn't mean to."

He rolled his eyes. "Evidently." He stood and stared down at her for a moment. "Are you hungry?"

Surprised by the sudden question, she looked up. "A little." She admitted softly.

"Fine then. Come with me." He turned away and crossed to the door. Pausing, he glanced back at her. "Are you coming?"

Nodding quickly, she stood and hurried after him as he exited through the door. She wondered at his odd behavior. She never would've thought Knives capable of kindness, yet here he was trying to distract her from the remnants of her nightmare. He'd even held her in an attempt to comfort her. It was almost more than she could take in. There'd been too much happening lately for her mind to fully grasp it all. She longed for normalcy in her life again, but she knew that a wish like that was impossible. Ever since she'd met Vash the Stampede everything in her life had gone off kilter. Nothing was simple anymore, including her current relationship with Knives, a man she should both fear and hate. She sighed and shook her head. She didn't hate him, not by a long shot. Fear, though? Maybe just a little. After all, she'd have to be a complete idiot to not be afraid of the man who'd just a short time ago nearly completed his plans to kill off the entire human race. "Um...Knives...where are we going?"

"The galley. You said you were hungry, right?" Pausing before the door that he thought should lead to the galley he pushed the switch and it slid open. He halted and stared for a moment, blocking the entrance.

"What's wrong?" She tried to peer around him to no avail.

"Wrong room." He muttered and slowly backed away, bumping into her smaller form in the process. "Little spider, don't make any sudden moves if you want to live." He whispered softly, urgently.

"Huh? What's wrong?" She repeated her earlier question as she again tried to peek around his larger frame and gasped. "Oh no!" The room was filled with mechanical monstrosities. She'd seen similar machines before, when she'd first met Nicholas Wolfwood on a bus after the sand steamer she'd been traveling on had crashed. Now she found herself staring into hundreds of menacing glowing red eyes, the whirring of their internal mechanisms loud in the previous tomb-like silence of the ship. "C-close the door!" She gasped fearfully.

"Gladly." He muttered, carefully reaching to the side. The door slid shut with a whoosh of air. He breathed a sigh of relief and turned to stare at the door across the corridor. "Wonder what they were doing up here." He muttered as he crossed to the other door and opened it. The galley appeared before him much to his relief.

"What was that?"

"The Guardians. They should be in storage in the lower decks, not up here."

"Oh, so that's what they're called." She murmured softly as she followed him into the next room, peering around anxiously and breathing a little easier when she didn't see any mechanical monsters laying in wait for them. "I never thought going for a snack could be such an adventure."

He looked up, startled. A smile began to form and before he knew it he was leaning against one of the counters for support as he found himself caught up in his amusement. He couldn't remember how long it had been since he'd actually felt genuine amusement like this.

Meryl blinked in surprise and stared at Knives in amazement. He was laughing, truly laughing, a joyous sound that encouraged her join in. Smiling widely she closed her eyes and listened, enjoying the sound. _He has a nice laugh._ She thought happily. Opening her eyes slowly, she found his gaze on her, blue eyes soft and full of warmth, a smile softening his features. In that moment, she truly could believe that he was Vash's brother. The resemblance was uncanny. Mentally she smacked herself. _Of course they look alike, Meryl. They're twins!_ But still, until now she'd never seen Knives with a genuine smile and she found she liked it very much indeed.


	13. Chapter 13

**Trigun Fanfic**

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow Shonen Gaho-sha Tokuma Shoten JVC Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication_

_or sale._

**Falcon's Blade**

_By Chiruken_

_**Chapter 13**_

Knives didn't know what was happening to him. The more time he spent in Meryl's company, the more he found himself liking her. He stared sightlessly at the screen, the glowing letters of the readouts blurred as his mind wandered. He couldn't believe that he actually enjoyed the company of a human, but the truth was staring him in the face. He liked being with her, it was that simple. He found himself wondering if there were others like her...humans who weren't hateful, spiteful parasites. He almost hoped there were. From the corner of his eye he could see her standing before the large view screen staring at the devastated land stretching to the horizon. He knew what she was thinking and had to admit that the thought had crossed his mind as well as he read the readouts from the external sensors. Turning his attention back to the screen before him he sighed softly. The carnage was much more widespread than he'd anticipated. He hadn't told her what he'd discovered, not yet. He wanted to learn more first. He couldn't just give her the bad news without good to accompany it and he fervently hoped that he'd find some and soon.

Meryl glanced over her shoulder at Knives where he sat hunched over a console. She knew he'd discovered something, but she was reluctant to ask what it was. She had a feeling that he'd tell her when he was ready and she wasn't about to force the issue yet. The truth was, she really didn't want to know. By the grim set to his features she could tell that it wouldn't be good news. Reaching to the side she shut off the large screen and crossed to a chair near him. She didn't want to look at the devastation outside anymore. It was too depressing.

Leaning back in the chair she stared up at the high domed ceiling, marveling once again at the technology displayed before her. Here, where she sat, was a piece of her history preserved intact from the time of the Great Fall. For all she knew she'd had ancestors that were on this ship. After the episode with the Guardians, she'd been afraid to explore the ship on her own and had stayed as close to Knives as she could. She told herself that it was simply because it was safer, but in reality she found that she was beginning to enjoy his company. In the time that she'd spent with him his attitude had mellowed and she'd discovered that he was likeable, in his own way. He wasn't friendly like Vash, nor nearly as cheerful, but all the same she liked being with him. She wondered if there was something wrong with her. Had it only been a few short weeks ago that she'd been deathly afraid of him? A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips. A lot had happened since then and she was glad that it had. It had given her the opportunity to get to know Knives better and, except for the imminent destruction of the entire planet and all life on it, she wouldn't exchange the experience for anything.

Leaning back in his chair Knives closed his eyes tiredly. His head was beginning to ache from all the data he'd been searching through. The words on the screen were starting to blur together and he was having a difficult time concentrating. He was tired. He hadn't been sleeping well, thanks to the little spider distracting him. He almost smiled at the thought. It wasn't as if she'd actually done anything, but her presence was proving enough of a distraction in itself. Raising his hand, he rubbed his eyes and sat up straighter. Turning to face her he smiled at her thoughtful expression. He wondered if she realized that she wrinkled her nose when she was in deep thought. Wisely, he decided to keep that bit of information to himself.

Sensing his gaze on her she turned her head to look at Knives. "Is something wrong?"

"I'm getting a headache from staring at the screen. Let's go get something to eat." He stood and stretched his cramped muscles.

Standing as well she glanced at the computer console he'd been sitting in front of for the past four hours. "Did you learn anything?" She asked hesitantly.

"Yes...and no." He hesitated and finally shrugged. "There is still quite a bit of data to sift through. It's taking longer than I anticipated."

"I wish I could help." She sighed and shook her head. "Oh well. I wouldn't know what I'm looking at anyway and probably overlook something important."

"Maybe." He shrugged and strode across the deck to the door. "Coming?" He looked over his shoulder to find her staring at the large view screen again. "Hey." He called softly. "Don't think about it. It doesn't change anything if you worry."

She nodded slowly and turned her back, hurrying to follow after him. He was right, she knew that. Unfortunately her heart refused to agree with her head on this matter. She was worried sick about Vash and Millie and her fears wouldn't be laid to rest until she found them safe and sound. She needed something to keep her busy. She sighed dejectedly. "I wish I had my typewriter."

"Why?" Knives slowed his steps so he could walk beside her.

"I haven't written a report in weeks. Head office must be wondering what happened to me by now. I'll be lucky if they don't fire me."

"Head office? What do you mean?" He suddenly realized that he knew very little about her life. He frowned and stared at the deck of the corridor they were following. Maybe this was the distraction he needed to relieve the tension that had crept up on him. The more he learned through the sensor data the worse the situation appeared to him. He could care less about the humans, but the Plants were being destroyed one by one and to him that was unacceptable. He was also worried about Vash being caught out in the devastation caused by the as of yet mysterious light. He still didn't know what it was or who controlled it. He really needed a break before his head decided to split open from all the data he was trying to input all at once.

"I work for the Bernardelli Insurance Company. I'm one of the field representatives." She smiled in remembrance. "I was assigned to track down Vash the Stampede and prevent more collateral damage." Grinning she shook her head. "I can tell you that Vash wasn't too pleased to discover that we intended to keep him under twenty-four hour surveillance."

"We?" He echoed, watching the animated expressions flitting across her pretty features.

She nodded. "Mmmhmmm. Millie and myself. She's my partner, but I think I already mentioned that before."

"Ah, yes. The woman with the stun gun. I remember." He'd only seen her briefly, but she hadn't left him with the impression of being well endowed in the intelligence department. Using a bit of tact, he refrained from mentioning his previous observation. He doubted his little spider would appreciate such a comment about someone she obviously considered a friend. Distantly, he wondered when he'd stopped being alarmed at thinking of her as _his_ little spider, but shoved the thought aside as being unimportant.

Smile dissolving into a frown she shook her head slowly. "The company took us off the case for a while after declaring Vash to be the first human natural disaster. Head office made the decision to refrain from paying out insurance benefits for any damage caused by him."

He raised an eyebrow. "Human natural disaster?" He snorted and shook his head. "He isn't even human."

"But they don't know that, nor do they need to. Vash doesn't need any more trouble following him around. He has more than enough already." Closing her eyes she groaned softly. "Lord, I've never known anyone as disaster prone as him. It's like catastrophes follow him around exclusively. He's a magnet for trouble, that's for sure." She sighed and slowly opened her eyes. "At any rate, I hope he's okay. Knowing him, he'll somehow manage to find himself in the middle of the problem trying to solve it all on his own."

Knives nodded slowly. "Sounds like Vash, all right." He was still a little miffed with his brother for shooting him, but all the same he didn't want anything to happen to him. He'd stopped wasting his energy trying to contact him once they'd reached the relative safety of the ship. There was no point, not when it was obvious that too great of a distance separated them to make such an attempt impossible. He refused to think of the possible alternative to the lack of response to his attempts at communication. He absolutely refused to believe that Vash _couldn't_ respond. Until he had irrefutable proof saying otherwise, he'd continue to believe that his brother was alive and well somewhere on this dusty and arid planet.


	14. Chapter 14

**Trigun Fanfic**

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow Shonen Gaho-sha Tokuma Shoten JVC Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication_

_or sale._

**Falcon's Blade**

_By Chiruken_

_**Chapter 14**_

Meryl rolled over and stared across the short distance separating her from Knives. In the dimly lit room she could see that his face was relaxed in sleep, the ever present tension gone from his features and giving him a peaceful expression that was normally foreign to him. When he was like this, relaxed with his eyes closed, she was reminded painfully of Vash. She longed to see him again, along with Millie. She missed the both of them terribly and at night, when she didn't have the distraction of Knives and their conversations, she felt the weight of her worry for her friends descend upon her, squeezing her heart and making it difficult to breathe.

Closing her eyes, she sighed and tried to push the depressing thoughts aside, but she found it nearly impossible. She needed reassuring but she also knew that if she was looking for it from Knives she'd have a long time in waiting. His attitude had definitely improved making him almost likeable...she grimaced and shook her head slowly, silently acknowledging that she did like him, quite a lot actually...but she doubted he'd understand her fears and insecurities. She didn't want to give him an excuse to revert back into the hateful man he used to be. She was just starting to get used to him being nice and she didn't want to have to get used to him being nasty again.

Knives was aware that his little spider was awake and watching him, thinking that he still slept. He wondered what she was thinking, but chose to remain still and wait for her to make the first move. He'd grown accustomed to the sound of her quiet breathing next to him as they slept and awakened when there was even a slight change to the rhythm, as had just happened.

The data he'd been analyzing hadn't proven to be particularly useful in identifying who was behind the attacks, only showing the results. He was no closer to understanding what was happening and that irritated him. Every day that he was delayed by his inability to properly analyze the information he had meant another of his brethren died. It was a matter of time before the entire planet was devoid of life, both Plant and human. He needed answers, but none were coming to him. He knew he was overlooking something, but he had no idea what it could possibly be. His job would be easier if he had someone to share the task with, but Meryl, unfortunately, wasn't able to understand the readouts from the external sensors and they just didn't have the time it would take to teach her.

Minutes passed and he began to wonder what she was doing. Her breathing had changed again, accompanied by the occasional sniffle, a certain indication that she was crying. He knew she was trying to hide her worry from him, reserving the cover of night for the indulgence of tears, and he wondered why she did it. He understood why she was so anxious, he shared a similar worry as well. After all, the Plants were also in danger right alongside the humans. He heard her moving, the sheets rustling as she rolled over, presumably to face away from him. He opened his eyes and stared at her back, watching as her shoulders shook with her near silent sobs.

Meryl stiffened, her tear-filled eyes going round in shock, when she felt a hand rest lightly on her shoulder. Sniffling as quietly as she could, she tried to unobtrusively wipe the tears from her face before allowing herself to be turned. She blinked up at Knives as he stared down at her with an enigmatic expression, blue eyes unreadable as they met her own. "D-did I wake you?" She whispered, voice husky with unshed tears.

He shook his head as he studied her features, noting the unshed tears shining in her grey eyes and the dampness on her cheeks. Slowly kneeling he maintained eye contact, raising a hand to carefully trace the path of a tear as it slowly streaked down her cheek. "Do you want to talk?" He asked softly, marveling at how soft her skin was. His gaze was drawn to her mouth as her lips trembled, her breath hitching as more tears came to her eyes and she shook her head in silent refusal. "Little spider, why do you try to hide your sadness?"

"I-I didn't want..." She swallowed and closed her eyes, releasing more tears. "I didn't want you to think I was weak." She whispered brokenly. _Why?_ She thought despondently. _Why is he being so nice and understanding? Is it a trick?_

He shifted closer and lowered his head, resting his forehead on her pillow. "I don't think you're weak, not at all." He murmured as he gently cupped her cheek. "If you need to cry, then cry. If you need to talk, then talk...I'm here and I can listen."

"I-I..." Her tearful voice cracked and she had to pause in an attempt to regain a semblance of control before continuing. "I'm so afraid, Knives. I don't want to be alone and if Millie and Vash die, who'll be left?"

"I'll be here." He whispered, closing his eyes and inhaling her delicate, feminine scent. "I won't leave you alone, I promise."

Meryl's eyes widened in shock as his words slowly sank in. Breath catching on another sob she shifted and threw her arms around him, burying her face against his shoulder. She didn't know how long she cried, letting all her pent up fears and sorrows out, but he held her the entire time, gently rocking her as he murmured soothing sounds near her ear.

Knives closed his eyes and cradled Meryl's small form in his arms, comforting her as best he could. Her fears were irrational, but very real. He'd had the very same fears from time to time over the years and every time he thought of something happening to Vash they would return. His brother meant everything to him and the thought of enduring a future without him was unbearable. His listened as her soft weeping changed to the occasional sniffle but continued to hold her gently. When her breathing changed to the rhythm of sleep he shifted until he was sitting with his back against the bunk, Meryl's head resting on his shoulder. Carefully reaching back he grabbed the blanket and wrapped it around her sleeping form. Closing his eyes he sighed softly and allowed himself to relax until sleep finally claimed him.


	15. Chapter 15

**Trigun Fanfic**

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow Shonen Gaho-sha Tokuma Shoten JVC Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication_

_or sale._

**Falcon's Blade**

_By Chiruken_

_**Chapter 15**_

Meryl studied Knives' profile as he concentrated on the readouts displayed on the screen. It had been nearly a week since she awoke in his arms and she still hadn't been able to sort through the jumble of emotions tumbling through her. He'd changed so much in the time they'd spent together, yet a part of her continued to worry that it was merely a temporary respite and that once they left the ship he'd return to his old hateful ways. She leaned her head against the back of the chair she was sitting in and stared up at the ceiling high above her, lips pursed in thought. She didn't fully understand the feelings he inspired in her and she was afraid to analyze them too much. All she knew was that the more time they spent in each others company and the more she got to know him, the more she found herself drawn to him and liking what she was discovering.

Knives scowled at the screen as he scrolled through the information being displayed. There was an anomaly registering through the external sensors that made no sense to him. The readings resembled the patterns of the energy signature of a Plant, yet differed greatly at the same time. Punching a few keys he brought up a comparison and leaned back in his chair studying the proper readouts of an operational Plant, the one in the ship. The levels spiked and returned to normal indicating that she was restless and through their connection he could feel her uneasiness as the anomaly approached their current location. It made no sense to him. Eyes moving across the screen he watched the graphs, comparing the data collected and finally shook his head.

"Is something wrong?" Meryl had been watching the play of emotions running across his expression silently, curious as to what it was he was learning but afraid to break his concentration. She didn't begin to understand the complicated charts currently displayed on the monitor before him, but judging by the tense set to his features it couldn't be good. It was either that or he didn't understand it either and she refused to believe that. Knives knew a lot about the lost technology and she had no reason to believe this differed any. Not for the first time she wished she understood it as well, maybe then she could help find the truth behind the devastation beyond the relative safety the ship offered to them.

"Possibly." He leaned back and closed his eyes tiredly. "I don't know." He raised his hands and rubbed at his aching temples, wishing for some much needed sleep. He hadn't been sleeping well for several days. The data he'd been analyzing was beginning to chase itself around in his mind creating a dizzying array of questions he had no way of answering. He longed for Vash's presence. At least his brother understood the technology and would be able to help sift through the vast amounts of information he'd been collecting since they'd arrived in the ship. Added to his troubles with the mystery of the light and the dying Plants were his complicated feelings towards Meryl. She made him feel things he'd thought long dead and it frightened him. He didn't want to feel anything for her, especially not now when some nameless, faceless threat was slowly stalking them. He knew they needed to stay away from each other, not get any closer than they already were, yet he also knew his resolve was wavering. He didn't want to think logically. For once, he wanted to be free to merely feel and not worry about the consequences that would come later.

Biting her lip in momentary indecision she studied the weariness reflected in his tired features and finally stood, crossing over to him. Placing her hands on his shoulders she gently massaged the tense muscles as she stared at the screen before him. "Maybe you need to take a break." She murmured softly.

He released a soft sigh, enjoying the feel of her hands kneading the tension from his aching shoulders. His resolve to maintain a safe distance from her dissolved and he let it. He needed the quiet comfort she offered so selflessly though he knew it would only cause problems for the both of them later. At the moment he wanted to be selfish and enjoy the closeness they now shared for as long as he was able. "I don't think that would be a good idea. We're running out of time, little spider, and if I don't find some answers soon there will be no need." Slowly he opened his eyes and stared at their reflection in the monitor. He reached up and covered her hand, curving his fingers around hers, silently taking comfort from her nearness.

"We're in a lot of trouble, aren't we?" She whispered softly, meeting his gaze reflected from the screen before him.

"More than you could ever imagine." He answered solemnly before reluctantly releasing her hand and sitting straighter. "All right. Look at these readouts." He pointed to the graphs displayed before him. "What do you see?"

Frowning, Meryl leaned closer and bit her lip in concentration. "I don't know. I don't know how to read it, Knives."

"I'm not asking you to. Look at the graphs and tell me what you see. I've been staring at them for so long that I'm probably missing something. Fresh eyes might make a difference."

"All right." She murmured, shifting so she was beside him, and leaned forward some more, running her finger over the display as she compared the colorful lines. Finally she tapped the smooth monitor. "This one seems to be longer and more spiked than the other, but I don't know what it means."

Leaning forward, Knives stared hard at the lines she'd indicated. "That's it!" He jumped up and spun, staring hard at the large view screen across the deck. Crossing, he toggled the switch and gazed out at the surrounding area, focusing on the sky. "It's a ship."


	16. Chapter 16

**Trigun Fanfic**

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow Shonen Gaho-sha Tokuma Shoten JVC Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication_

_or sale._

**Falcon's Blade**

_By Chiruken_

_**Chapter 16**_

Knives turned away from the view screen and stared across the observation deck at Meryl for several long moments. His mind was racing. They were in trouble, serious trouble. There was another intact ship out there targeting human settlements and Plants, destroying both without pause. That same ship was now heading in their direction. Their options were limited and he had to think of something and fast if they were going to survive the upcoming encounter.

Turning his head he stared at the command console. The Plant was fully operational, the ship intact. All systems were online and in standby mode. The only system not operating at full capacity was the deep space compression unit. Without those units they wouldn't get far beyond the atmosphere of the planet, yet that wasn't his main concern. All they needed, really, was to stay out of weapon's range long enough to gather more necessary data. But then what? What would they do once they'd gotten the information they needed? He didn't feel like testing the ship's maneuverability in combat. He had a feeling such a course wouldn't have favorable results.

"Knives..." Meryl sensed a change and knew that something serious had occurred and that it had something to do with the ship he'd mentioned. "What are you thinking?" She was becoming extremely nervous the longer the silence stretched. She knew he was planning something, but she couldn't begin to imagine what. When he suddenly turned his gaze on her she took an involuntary step back, legs bumping into the chair immediately behind her. She sat hard, her breath whooshing out of her.

He stared at her hard. Could she handle it? Would she go to pieces on him? He didn't have a choice in the matter. It was either fly or fall. They were now out of options and the time for deliberation was at an end. Crossing the deck with purposeful strides he grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the chair. "Come with me." He ordered curtly, pulling her along as he strode towards the door.

Gasping in surprise at the sudden change in him, she had no choice but to do as he said. His grip on her arm was painful as he dragged her behind him down the corridors and into one of the rooms she'd never explored yet. "What are you doing?" She asked breathlessly, having had to run to keep up with his longer strides. She watched as he opened what appeared to be a locker, revealing a suit similar to the one he was currently wearing.

Without turning, he grabbed the suit and studied the size, silently comparing it and finding it acceptable. "Strip." He ordered brusquely.

Eyes going round she felt her face heating with angry embarrassment. "I beg your pardon?!" Her voice rose to nearly a shriek when he approached her, expression harsh, blue eyes hard, and grabbed her arm again as he pulled her cloak off. "Wh-what are you doing?!" She stared at him in horrified shock as he reached for her blouse. The blood drained from her face at the sound of tearing cloth. She automatically raised her hands to cover herself from view. She'd never felt such an acute sense of betrayal as she did now.

"Hurry up. I don't have all day." He scowled and yanked on her skirt, removing it without pause. He thrust the body suit at her. "Put this on." W hen she didn't move he glared at her. "I said hurry, Meryl." Without waiting for a reply he began to roughly dress her, ignoring the shaking in her limbs which was making his task all the more difficult. Swiftly securing the fastenings up the front he spun her and finished with the buckles in the back. Satisfied, he grabbed her arm again and dragged her back to the bridge.

Meryl was in a state of shock. He'd literally ripped her clothes off of her body only to replace them with the suit he'd taken from a locker. She didn't protest when he pushed her into a chair and quickly belted her in. She stared straight ahead, mind unable to grasp the sudden turn of events. Her hands closed into fists on the smooth arms of the chair as he seated himself in the one next to her, swinging the console around in front of him, hands moving with dizzying speed over the keys. "Wh-wh-what..." She stuttered and paused, licking her dry lips before trying again. "What are you doing?" She finally managed to squeak.

He didn't answer right away. All of his attention was focused on the systems readouts as he entered the commands needed to implement his half-formed plan. One after another the lights began to flash, first red, then amber and finally they all glowed a steady green as the deck began to tremble. Warnings flashed across the screens as engines sputtered and finally ignited, their roar loud in the previously silent interior. The trembling increased to a bone jarring rattle as, after a century of being grounded, the great ship slowly began to rise skyward.

Meryl stared at the view screen that Knives had left on, face deathly white as she watched the desert slowly sink away and the blue of the sky replace the familiar sandy dunes. "Oh my God!" She was too terrified to look away. _I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die!_ It became a terrible mental litany as more and more blue appeared on the screen. "What are you doing?!" She screamed as the ship gave a sickening lurch.

Lips pressed together in a thin line of intense concentration, Knives hurriedly fought to stabilize the ship before it could plummet back to the ground. A moment later the shaking evened out and the screaming of the engines muted to a low rumbling purr. Turning his gaze to his obviously terrified companion he offered her a small, tense smile. "Why, little spider, we're flying of course. You've always wanted to fly, haven't you?"


	17. Chapter 17

**Trigun Fanfic**

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow Shonen Gaho-sha Tokuma Shoten JVC Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication_

_or sale._

**Falcon's Blade**

_By Chiruken_

_**Chapter 17**_

Meryl's hands hurt from the pressure of gripping the arms of the chair so tight she was certain she would leave permanent imprints of her fingers in the material. _How many does it usually take to fly a ship?_ She thought numbly as she mentally recounted the skeletal remains of the previous crew. _Oh man...at least four!_ Teeth chattering in her fright she clenched her jaw to keep them from banging together. "Three short...we're three short...not enough, not nearly enough." She muttered as she stared at the view screen resisting the insane urge to laugh hysterically.

Knives had his hands full trying to keep the ship airborne but Meryl's muttering was beginning to distract him, a dangerous distraction he didn't need at that point. "Would you please shut up? This is difficult enough without you distracting me!"

"Difficult, he says." She glared at him for a moment before turning her gaze back to the lovely view of blue. "Did you even think this through first? Do you really know what you're doing? God! I can't believe I entrusted my life to a maniac! You're just as crazy as Vash!"

"Oh crap!" The sudden silence on the bridge was more than explanation of enough for his sudden outburst as he frantically tried to bring the engines back online.

Meryl's stomach dropped out and she thought for a moment that she was going to be physically ill. _It would serve him right, too._ She thought ungraciously as she turned to glare at him again. "I should throw up all over you, you big idiot!"

"Kindly aim in the other direction. I'm a little busy right now if you hadn't noticed!" Hands moving rapidly over the console he breathed a sigh of relief when the flashing red lights turned green again and the ship's rapid decent leveled off, the comforting rumble of the engines resonating throughout the ship once again.

She slumped back in the chair and raised a shaking hand to push her hair out of her eyes. "You know, Knives, I really don't like heights very much. I'd feel a lot more comfortable on the ground about now."

"You and me both, little spider. But we don't have much of a choice at this point. It's either fly or fall now." He checked the readouts from the external sensors and toggled the view screen switch to bring the data up where they could both see it. "See that little red dot?" He didn't wait for a reply. "That's the enemy at this point. It's another ship and I strongly suspect that it's what is responsible for the sudden alteration of landscape below."

"Ship?" She repeated and stared at the screen. "Um...is it just me, or is the dot getting bigger?"

"It isn't just you." Swiftly running his hands over the controls he felt a moment of satisfaction when the rumble of the engines increased in volume and a definite sense of a jolt of power rippled through the ancient ship. "Well, it's time to see just what this ship is still capable of."

She cast a quick look in his direction but held her tongue for the moment. The look of intense concentration on his face warned her that he really didn't need any distractions from her. She was reminded jarringly that he was only one man flying a ship that by her estimation required at least three others to do so effectively. She decided that if they survived their current situation she was definitely going to have to hurt him for frightening her like this. "This is a nightmare." She muttered and returned her attention to the screen, watching as the dot continued to increase in size. "I sure hope you have a plan, Knives. Please tell me you have a plan."

"As a matter of fact I do." He answered distractedly as he shunted more power to the engines. They really had no use for life support at this point and since he had no intention of taking them out of the atmosphere he doubted they'd need it later either. "I hope you have a strong stomach, Meryl, because things are about to get a little..." He paused for a moment and shifted more power from the artificial gravity systems to the engines. "Hairy." He finished as the ship lurched forward, spinning for a moment on its axis before straightening out again.

A scream stuck in her throat and she choked. She was beyond terrified now. She was almost convinced that he was purposely trying to scare her, yet one look at him dissolved that suspicion. He really was doing the best he could, she realized. It had been a desperate plan and one doomed to failure at any moment, yet he'd taken the chance, betting everything on this course of action. If he failed, they'd both die. Yet if he'd done nothing they'd both be dead already. She closed her eyes and an instant later snapped them open again. Closing her eyes was not an option when her stomach was doing its level best to climb out of her throat.

Blinking in surprise, Knives watched as the light for the compression unit switched to green. Shifting his attention back to the sensor data he nodded slowly and once again rerouted power, this time bringing life support back online. "Want to see something interesting?" He asked his companion conversationally, belying the intense amount of effort it was taking to control the large ship. It was awkward flying such a large vessel that was intended for space travel within the confines of the gravitational pull of the planet as well as the 'stickiness' of the atmosphere clinging to the hull creating a tremendous amount of drag.

"Interesting?" She repeated in a squeak. She didn't think she could take much more 'interesting' events without going into shock. "Please don't do anything rash, Knives."

"Don't worry. It's under control...mostly." Altering course, he angled upwards, the engines whining at the effort of defying gravity as the blue of the sky rapidly altered to the much darker hue of space.

"Mostly?!" She stared at the view screen and shook her head in denial. He wasn't doing it, was he? He wasn't going even higher, was he? That couldn't be space, it just couldn't. Whimpering miserably she found herself biting her knuckles to hold in a loud wail. She could feel herself getting lighter, the straps of the belts across her body the only thing holding her in place. "This isn't happening." She whispered, shaking her head in denial once again.

"Um...you might want to close your eyes for this." He advised softly as he checked the weapon's systems one last time before rapidly switching their course. They had only one chance and that was it. If he failed they'd become a smear on the dusty surface and that would be it. Of course, he wasn't about to tell her that. She was hysterical enough as it was, her fear nearly tangible within the confines of the bridge. Shifting power from life support to the engines again he gave the ship an added burst of speed. Meryl's high pitched shriek clearly indicated that she hadn't taken his advice and was currently staring at the ground rushing up to meet them through the view screen at the front of the bridge. Using the nearly free-falling dive to gain even more speed, Knives took the compression units offline again and rerouted their power to the weapon's systems. "I hope this works." He muttered under his breath as he brought them out of their dive and leveled off, engines screaming in protest. Studying the sensor readouts he spotted his target immediately and switched the power from life support to the weapon's. "If you believe in a god, Meryl, I suggest you start praying now."

Silently he watched the distance display as the numbers rolled back, the other ship getting closer and closer. Keeping one eye on their altitude and another on the weapon's system's readiness, he drew in a quick breath and held it, running his fingers over the trigger switches. The ship lurched as all the weapons fired at once, the lights flashing red as the batteries recharged. They had one chance and only one. If this volley failed they were as good as dead. There was no way the ancient ship could go through the punishment of another rapid atmospheric re-entry. He counted down the seconds until the estimated time of impact and released his breath in a whoosh when the sky filled with dazzling blue light.


	18. Chapter 18

**Trigun Fanfic**

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow Shonen Gaho-sha Tokuma Shoten JVC Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication_

_or sale._

**Falcon's Blade**

_By Chiruken_

_**Chapter 18**_

Meryl stared at the screen seeing nothing but the blue of the sky. Her heart hammered against her ribs painfully, a vivid reminder of her recent brush with death. She wanted to yell, scream, rant at Knives, but she couldn't. His desperate gamble had just saved them all...the Plants on the planet as well as the entire human race. For a man who had up until now been bent on the destruction of the human race it was a surprising turn of events. She smiled shakily. _Surprising._ She thought dizzily. _Now that's an understatement and a half._

For his part, Knives leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes. It had worked. It had actually worked. The other ship had disappeared from the sensor's in a blinding flash of destructive power and now the skies had returned to a peaceful blue. He turned his head slowly and opened his eyes to look at Meryl. "It's over." He spoke softly, his exhaustion clear. All he wanted was rest, but he still had the little matter of having to fly the ship and land it safely.

Gazing back at him she nodded slowly. "Yes, it is." She turned her attention back to the view screen and frowned thoughtfully. "Who do you suppose it was?"

"Who?" He echoed curiously. "What do you mean?" Sitting up straighter he began the process of finding a suitable landing sight. It wouldn't do to crash now that the danger was finally over.

"The other ship. Who do you suppose was behind the attacks?"

He frowned and considered not answering but decided against it. She deserved an explanation even if he was reluctant to give it. "There wasn't anyone on the ship, little spider." He angled the ship into a gentle descent the external sensors having found a suitable landing sight. "It was the Plant." He finished softly and shook his head sadly. "She went insane and decided to destroy everything on the planet, including her brothers and sisters."

"How terrible." She whispered, her heart aching for the poor creature they had been forced to kill. Suddenly she sat up straighter. "You don't suppose there are others like her? Other Plants who are going insane?"

He gave her a cool look before turning his attention back to his task. "I believe it was an isolated incident."

Puzzled by the sudden frostiness within the confines of the bridge she turned to look at him again. It took her several moments to realize what she had just said. She smacked a palm to her forehead. _I'm such a dunce._ She thought casting a nervous glance at him again and trying unsuccessfully to gauge his mood by his expression. "That was a stupid thing to ask, wasn't it?" She asked softly.

"Rather." He responded, tone chilly, before shrugging. "Never mind. Brace yourself, we're landing."

Meryl yelped at the bone jarring force of the landing and groaned softly. "Are we really on the ground again?" She sighed with relief when he nodded. She looked down at the belts holding her in place and frowned. "Um...Knives?" She looked up as he moved passed her without looking in her direction. "Hey!" She called out. "I need some help here!" She tugged on the straps and scowled. "I don't know how..." She trailed off when he returned and bent to release the belts holding her fast to the seat. "Thanks."

He merely nodded and turned away. He was exhausted. All he wanted was a shower, something to eat, and a good, long sleep. He'd contend with his companion after that, when he was rested and could think clearly again. Resting his hand on the doorframe he looked back over his shoulder. "Don't touch anything until I get back, all right?" He really didn't need the added worry of her maybe accidentally activating the alarm system in the section where he intended to sleep.

"I won't." She mumbled, staring sullenly at the floor before looking up again. "Where are you going?"

"I'm tired, little spider. I'm going to sleep." With that he turned away again and left her alone on the bridge. He felt almost numb and he knew that later the guilt would set in. He'd just killed a Plant, his sister. He knew it had been necessary. "Kill the spider..." He muttered as he strode down the corridor. "To save the butterfly." He stopped and closed his eyes. Where had he gone wrong? He knew he was right, had always been, but now, why did he feel so empty? He wanted to blame someone for his confusion, but there was no one to place the blame on. It wasn't Meryl's fault and neither was it Vash's. Some how he'd managed to overlook the flaws in his philosophy all these years and now he would pay the price for it. He shook his head and continued down towards the sleeping cabins. He needed sleep. After he was rested and could think clearly again he could make sense of the jumble of conflicting emotions rolling around inside his head. Until then, there was no point in thinking about it since he couldn't form a logical answer at that point to save his life. He was just too tired.

Meryl slowly followed after Knives, worried by the bleakness she'd seen in his eyes. Biting her lip she pressed herself against the wall and listened to his softly spoken words and closed her eyes. Now she understood. His beliefs had somehow turned around on him and he was now lost, without direction. Sympathy welled up within her and, drawing in a quick breath, she stepped out from around the corner to find him gone. Blinking in confusion she looked around and frowned uncertainly. "Where could he have gone?" She looked around herself a little more closely and realized that she didn't recognize this part of the ship. She sighed and shook her head. "Great, just great, Meryl. Now you've done it. You've gone and gotten yourself lost."


	19. Chapter 19

**Trigun Fanfic**

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow Shonen Gaho-sha Tokuma Shoten JVC Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication_

_or sale._

**Falcon's Blade**

_By Chiruken_

_**Chapter 19**_

Despite his fatigue Knives found that sleep just wouldn't come. He lay on the bunk staring up at the sterile steel plates of the ceiling, arms laced behind his head, his thoughts returning again and again to his childhood aboard the ship with Rem and Vash. He saw repeatedly the butterfly caught in the spider's web with the spider stalking it and Vash trying to save the both of them. He'd killed the spider to save the butterfly, but Vash had been angry with his decision. He hadn't understood at the time, but now he thought he was beginning to. Vash had said he wanted to save both of them, yet logic dictated that if the butterfly were saved the spider would die eventually. It had, in his young mind, been a simple choice. He knew he'd been right...yet he now knew he'd also been wrong. Vash and Rem had tried to tell him, only he hadn't been willing to listen.

Had his whole life been a lie? Everything he'd done, from his intervention on the ship concerning Steve, to the killing of Joey, a man who'd tried to be a father figure to him, to Rem's death, was it all for nothing? He'd been so sure he was doing the right thing by exterminating what he considered parasitic organisms to ensure the survival of his brethren, now he wondered if perhaps they didn't want to be saved. Had he alienated his twin for nothing? All the people he'd killed, all the plans he'd made, it had all been for his perceived Eden that he would share with Vash and the other Plants. "But that Eden is tainted, isn't it?" He whispered softly, closing his eyes and seeing Vash's tears again as he'd stared out the view port at the ship carrying Rem as it had exploded. Was Eden worth all the tears?

Slowly he sat up, the blanket falling to pool at his waist and covered his face with shaking hands. Had he been so blinded by righteous anger against those who had abused him and his brother that he couldn't see the truth until it was too late? Had he committed a supreme injustice that could never be atoned for? Had he ignored the voice of reason in his pursuit of a warped sense of vengeance? How could he have failed to see the truth when the obvious had stared him in the face all these years?

It had taken the death of his sister to realize the wrongness of his actions, but he was no closer to knowing how to even begin to atone for his crimes against humanity. He leaned forward, head bowed. He didn't know what to do now that his purpose had been taken away from him. He'd lost himself to the madness of so called virtuous anger against the entire human race and now that the haze had lifted he was left without direction. He didn't know how to live without the hatred, yet that had faded and left only bitter bewilderment behind. "I don't know what to do." He shook his head and slowly disentangled himself from the blanket to stand beside the bunk. Looking around the cabin he sighed and bent to retrieve his clothes. He couldn't sleep, so he may as well get up and do something. He wasn't sure what he intended to do, but he did know that he didn't want to be alone at that moment. He thought he might seek out Meryl, but discarded the idea immediately. He couldn't face her, not yet...maybe never.

He stepped through the door and began walking aimlessly along the deserted corridors, his steps echoing hollowly off the walls. He soon found himself outside the large room housing the ship's Plant. He hesitated before opening the door and stepping in. He was immediately bathed in the soothing glow from the containment bulb. He looked up and saw his sister looking down at him with sadness reflected in her beautiful face. No words were exchanged, none were needed. They were able to communicate on a much more intimate level, thoughts and emotions being shared without the awkwardness of speech. He told her of his feelings of guilt as she told him of her deep loneliness during her time of isolation. They each took comfort from the other as Knives knelt outside the bulb at her feet.

"I'm sorry, sister...I've done so many terrible things." He whispered, leaning his forehead against the smooth glass-like exterior. "I thought this was your prison, but I was wrong, wasn't I? You're not a prisoner but a caretaker." He closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath, releasing it slowly. "I spent all those years trying to free you and the others, but you were never really imprisoned to begin with. Vash was right all along after all. I was the monster, not the humans."

Shifting around until his back was braced against the Plant's bulb, he slumped down and closed his eyes. Slowly his breathing evened out as he drifted and was soon asleep. He didn't notice the door opening to reveal Meryl's small form holding a blanket in her arms nor the tears glistening on her cheeks. Crossing the deck silently she looked up at the Plant and tried to smile through her tears. It was, of course, a wasted effort and she gave up. Looking down at Knives' sleeping form she sighed softly and shook out the blanket. Kneeling beside him, she reached out a tentative hand only to stop before actually touching him. She didn't want to wake him, not when he was so obviously exhausted. After gently tucking the blanket around him she sat back on her heels and watched him sleep for a few minutes before standing and pressing her hands to the bulb housing the Plant. The being immediately moved closer and touched her own hands against the smooth surface of the interior.

"I heard everything." She whispered softly so as not to wake Knives. The Plant nodded and pressed her nose against the bulb. Meryl smiled a little and did the same. "He needs someone to look after him." Again, the Plant nodded and smiled a little. "But for now he needs to sleep. Thank you for helping us." Reluctantly she stepped away from the large bulb and looked down at Knives. "Watch over him for me, okay?" She asked softly and was rewarded by a dazzling array of warmth flowing through her mind. She gasped and looked up, shocked, to find the Plant smiling at her warmly. "Thank you." Meryl turned and left, hoping to find her way back to the medical facility where she could make herself a cup of much needed coffee.


	20. Epilogue

**Trigun Fanfic**

_Trigun © Yasuhiro Nightow Shonen Gaho-sha Tokuma Shoten JVC Pioneer Entertainment (USA) Inc._

_The following fanfiction was written by me (Chiruken) and is intended for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication_

_or sale._

**Falcon's Blade**

_By Chiruken_

_**Epilogue**_

When Knives awoke he was momentarily disoriented. He sat up and looked around blinking sleep from his eyes. _Oh yes...the Plant._ He thought fuzzily and he moved to stand. His progress was halted by his legs tangling in his blanket. "Blanket? I didn't have a blanket." He looked questioningly towards his sister and saw that she was smiling. It took only a moment for Knives to reach understanding. Meryl had found him and given him a blanket. He looked down at it and closed his fist around the material, bringing it closer to his chest. He closed his eyes and sighed sadly. "Now for the moment of truth." He murmured softly and moved towards the door. Pausing, he looked back and offered a sad smile. "Goodbye, sister. Take care of yourself."

Meryl loved coffee. She loved everything about it...the taste, the scent, the colour, even the way it made stain rings on the table. Yes, she loved coffee, especially first thing in the morning when she seriously needed a pick-me-up. Wrapping her fingers around the cup she closed her eyes and inhaled the wonderful aroma, sighing in contentment. "God, it's good to be alive." The sound of the door opening drew her attention. She turned and smiled. "Good morning, Knives. Would you like some coffee?"

He stared at her in silence for several moments before finally nodding. "Coffee sounds good." He slowly sat in a chair across from where she'd been sitting.

"You wouldn't believe what I found last night." She turned, carrying a steaming cup, and set it in front of him. "Black? Or would you like sugar and cream?"

"Black's fine. Thanks." He wrapped his hands around the mug and stared into it for a moment before looking up again. "What did you find?"

She grinned and sat, perched on the edge of her chair, and leaned forward. "I found a room filled with geo-plants. It was amazing! I've never seen so much green in my life. I don't have the words to describe it. It was just so...so...beautiful!"

"Geo-plants?" He echoed, confusion evident in his tone. "Oh. I understand." He tried to summon a smile and failed and chose instead to go back to staring into his cup.

"Knives?" She frowned in concern. "Are you all right?" He was acting strangely, even for him. She pursed her lips thoughtfully and finally sighed. "You know, it wasn't you fault. There was nothing else you could have done for her."

He looked up quickly and stared at Meryl in surprise. "What did you say?"

"The Plant yesterday. You couldn't have saved her. I don't think she _wanted_ to be saved." She looked away and frowned at the wall. "It's sad, yes, but some things are unavoidable. We can only go on and do the best we can. Dwelling on mistakes made in the past does no good and only hurts us and those close to us in the end."

"Is that so?" He murmured softly. "And what if the mistakes were monumental? What then, little spider?"

"We just have to go on and try to find a way to make amends. It isn't easy, but it can be done, given time." She turned her gaze back to him and offered him an encouraging smile. "It's easier when we have friends and loved ones we can count on to stand by us and help us when things get too rough."

He closed his eyes, unable to meet her steady grey gaze any longer. "Friends and loved ones." He repeated sadly. He felt the weight of his years spent alone, alienated from his brother and isolated from the human's he'd hated for so long.

"Yes." She stood and rounded the table to place her arms around him. "Vash and I will always be with you, Knives. Whatever choices you make now, we will be there to help you overcome the obstacles." She rested her head against his shoulder. "Millie, too. You can always count on her to stand by you through the worst of situations."

"Meryl." He choked and placed his arms around her, resting his cheek against her stomach, taking comfort in her soothing presence. "I'm sorry." He whispered brokenly, closing his eyes tight against the sting of unfamiliar moisture. "I'm so sorry."

"It's all right." She whispered, gently smoothing her hand over his sleep tussled blond hair. "I forgive you."

To Knives, those were the most beautiful words he'd ever heard. For the first time in what felt like an eternity he felt at peace. He allowed himself to feel a glimmer of hope for the future. He now knew what needed to be done to try to make the mistakes of his past right again. He couldn't bring back the dead, but he could learn from his brother and try to help those who still lived. He knew that it would take time, that he wouldn't be able to accomplish everything at once, but he was willing to try. It wouldn't be easy, but Meryl's words encouraged him. He had a lifetime of hatred to try to overcome, but he felt confident that given time he could do it. After all, he had a lot of time to work on it. He smiled a little and tightened his arms around her. He wasn't certain how long Plants lived, but he had a feeling that he had a long life ahead of him to try to fix the wrongs he'd done and maybe, just maybe, he could find his Eden after all...only this time it would be for everyone, not just the Plants.

**_Owari_**


End file.
